MARY, THE HOLY MOTHER OF GOD

1 JANUARY 2017

          It seems to be a custom on this day to make New Year’s Resolutions.  In light of my complete failure to keep any of the New Year’s Resolutions I have ever made, let me suggest three words from today’s Gospel that will serve our spiritual lives much more fully than any New Year’s Resolutions we might cook up.

            The first word is haste.  Saint Luke tells us that the shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem as soon as the angels had given them the news of the birth of the Messiah.  Mary had gone in haste to visit her cousin Elizabeth after she had responded to the Angel and agreed to be the Mother of God.  Going in haste is an important component to our lives of faith.  God hardly ever communicates with us through Angels.  But God speaks to us in a number of ways.  In a special way at this Season, God calls us to deepen our Baptismal Commitment.  The Lord calls young people to priesthood, religious life, or marriage.  In a number of ways, he is calling all of us to lives of more profound holiness.  Too often, we put God off and think that we will respond later, when our lives are more settled or we when we may have more clarity.  Like the shepherds, like Mary, we need to make haste as we continue to search for ways that Christ is present in our lives.

            The second word is amazed.  Shepherds lived at the bottom of their society.  Because they were continually on the move, leading their sheep to greener pastures, no one trusted them.  They smelled like sheep.  They did not keep the Sabbath.  Religious leaders considered them to be sinners, because they did not follow the Law.  But God chose these shepherds to receive the good news of the Savior’s birth.  They probably came to the stable more out of curiosity than out of faith.  But, once they encountered the child, they were amazed at what they saw.  They were the first evangelists, amazing those who heard their news.  After the Lord’s resurrection, it would be the simple fishermen, tax collectors, and peasants who were amazed at the mystery of the resurrection, spreading the good news to those who were amazed to hear it.

            We could use a little more amazement in our lives of faith.  We can take our cue from children, who could hardly contain themselves when Christmas finally came.  Of course, we find God’s presence in a number of ways in our ordinary lives.  We find God in nature, in the world around us, and in people we encounter.  But the Lord has broken through the darkness of the world and has taken on human flesh.  That is amazing!  And this Christmas Season can increase our sense of amazement.  Once we can identify the depth of our amazement, we can become evangelizers ourselves, spreading the Good News of our salvation to those around us.

            Finally, Saint Luke tells us that Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.  Despite her initial fear, Mary responded to the Angel’s message that she had been chosen to be the Mother of God.  But she did not understand, nor could she understand.  In pondering everything in her heart, she sorted out the mysterious ways God was involved in her live and in the life of her Son.

            Because Mary is the Mother of the Church, she can teach us a great deal about living our faith in this New Year.  We live in an age of instant communication.  We are bombarded with the 24-hour news cycle, which never tires of giving us “Breaking News.”  We respond immediately to texts, twitters, and emails, sometimes communicating very hurtful and angry things to people.  If we can do anything to deepen our faith, we can determine to spend more time in quiet prayer in 2017.  In quiet prayer, we can reflect on what is happening, giving ourselves time to recognize how the Incarnate Lord is present in our lives.  Then we can make haste and express our amazement at the Mystery of the Incarnation to all we encounter.  

CHRISTMAS

25 DECEMBER 2016

          We tend to think of the birth of Jesus Christ as an isolated event that happened a long time ago.  In fact, the actual birth happened only once in history.  But our celebration today is much more than recalling that birth.  At Christmas, we celebrate the Mystery of the Incarnation.  The Gospels assigned for Christmas help us to understand the significance of this Mystery.  Saint Matthew tells the story of Christ’s birth from the perspective of Joseph, a descendant of David.  Saint Luke tells the story from the perspective of Mary, the humble handmaid who responded to the angel’s invitation to become the Mother of God.  Saint John reminds us that Jesus is the Eternal Word who has taken flesh and pitched his tent among us.  He recalls the custom of the Israelites pitching the tent of the tabernacle as a way of representing God’s presence in their journey through the desert to freedom.  Now, Jesus is the real presence of God in our midst.

            The Incarnation is a Mystery that continues to unfold in our lives and in our journey of faith.  We can see this most clearly in the Gospel of Luke.  He begins his Gospel with angels telling shepherds to go to Bethlehem, where a couple had given birth in a stable, because there was no room for them in the inn.  He ends his Gospel with angels telling women that Jesus had been raised from the dead.  Not trusting that news, two of them leave Jerusalem and travel to Emmaus.  On the way, the risen Christ walks with them and opens their hearts to the truth of his resurrection.  The shepherds arrive at Bethlehem and find the child lying in a manger, which is the place where animals feed.  They see and believe and go out to proclaim the good news of the birth of the Messiah.  The disciples arrive at Emmaus and invite the stranger to join them for a meal at an inn.  In the breaking of bread, they recognize the risen Lord and believe.  They return to Jerusalem to proclaim the good news of the Resurrection.

            The shepherds and those two anonymous disciples help us to understand God’s love for us.  In the ancient world, shepherds were not the romantic figures wearing bathrobes and head gear in our Christmas pageants.  They were shifty characters living on the edges of their society.  Moving around with their sheep to find better pastures, they were not trusted.  They smelled, and they did not keep the Sabbath, because sheep don’t rest on the Sabbath.  The two disciples left Jerusalem, because they could not believe what the women told them about their executed teacher being raised from the dead.  The Mystery of the Incarnation is a gift given to us, even when we put ourselves at the edges of our families and communities.  The Mystery of the Incarnation is given, even when the darkness of our lives and world seems to overwhelm us. 

            Christmas reminds us that we do not walk alone as we walk in our pilgrimage together to the New and Eternal Jerusalem. Through the Mystery of the Incarnation, Christ walks with us now, no matter what is happening to our lives.  Jesus Christ has shared in our humanity, so that we can share in his divinity.  As long as we remain open to his transforming love in our lives, he slowly and gradually changes us to become the people destined for life with him in eternity.

            We use the word “Christmas” for a good reason.  Christ is most intensely present at Mass.  He speaks to us through his Word, as he spoke to the disciples on the road to Emmaus.  He feeds us with his Body and Blood, prefigured in his lying in the manger and realized in the breaking of bread at Emmaus.  I am glad that Christmas falls on a Sunday this year.  For starters, it makes this week a lot easier for us clergy types.  But much more profoundly, it reminds us of the importance of the Mass we celebrate every Sunday!  Jesus Christ is the Word made Flesh.  He has pitched his tent among us.  Gathering together as God’s people to celebrate the Eucharist every Sunday, we encounter the one who shares in our humanity to transform us into his divinity.

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT

18 DECEMBER 2016

          Ahaz was the king of Israel eight centuries before the birth of Christ.  Like his fellow Israelites, King Ahaz was not a deist.  Our founding fathers were deists, who believed that God created the universe and remained distant as his creatures tried to work things out.  The people of eighth century Judah were convinced that God was not distant.  God was involved in their lives and the life of the world.  That is why signs were so important to them.  Signs were not events that defied the laws of nature.  Signs were outward demonstrations of God’s activity in the world.  Signs ranged from the rising of the sun in the morning, to the birth of a child, and to any event – ordinary or extraordinary – that showed forth God’s presence.

            God’s presence did not protect King Ahaz and his kingdom from difficulties.  Kingdoms allied with the Empire of Assyria had attached Judah.  Now, Ahaz had decided that he would enter into an alliance with Assyria.  But, the prophet Isaiah brings him a message.  He tells him that God does not want him to do anything.  To show the king that Isaiah is speaking for God, he offers him a sign.  King Ahaz refuses in a very pious way.  He refuses the sign, because he has already made up his mind.  But Isaiah gives him a sign anyway.  The virgin shall conceive and bear a son.  He even tells him to name the child “Emmanuel,” which means “God is with us.” In the context of the times, Isiah’s words were fulfilled in Hezekiah, Ahaz’s son, who became king.

            Saint Matthew recalls the words of Isaiah and applies them to a member of the House of King David.  Joseph of Nazareth is also a deeply religious man, trusting that God is involved in his life.  Joseph had been betrothed to Mary, probably for many years.  Marriages in that culture were arranged, and couples had to learn to know and love one another once they were married.  Joseph must have been devastated when he heard the news that his future wife was with child.  As a righteous man, he knows the Law of Moses.  He could have Mary stoned to death for committing adultery.  But he is also a deeply compassionate man and decides to divorce her quietly.  He will step aside and allow the father of the child to come forward to claim the child.

            Centuries before, God had spoken through dreams to Joseph, the son of Jacob.  That Joseph had trusted what he heard in his dreams and saved Egypt and his own family from starvation.  Now, the angel of the Lord speaks to this descendant of Joseph in a dream, telling him how the Lord had fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah in ways that no one could ever have imagined.  Joseph trusts what the angel says:  do not be afraid and name the child Jesus (“God saves”).  Joseph trusts what he has been told.  Without fear, he takes his wife into his home.  Combined with Mary’s passive trust of what she had been told by the Angel, Joseph’s actions set the stage for the Mystery which we will celebrate next Sunday.

            God continues to be involved in our lives.  That is why Christmas is so important for our faith.  Through the Incarnation, God took on human flesh and dwells among us.  Christmas is not just a one day event.  It is a continuing unfolding of that presence in our world and in our lives.  As we spend this final week preparing to celebrate this great Mystery, we can learn from Joseph.  We can listen attentively to the voice of God speaking to us – maybe not so much in dreams, but more in the way that God speaks to us through the Scriptures.  We can spend time in quiet reflection, pondering what the Lord says in the Scriptures and reflect on the ways that God is already active in our lives.  We can imitate the righteous man of Nazareth and pattern our lives more closely upon the Law of God showing us the way.  We can imitate his compassion and be merciful to those around us.  In preparing to give gifts to those we love and cherish, we reflect the greatest gift ever given – God taking flesh in our midst.

THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT

11 DECEMBER 2016

          Last Sunday, we met a bold and confident John the Baptist.  He drew people away from the Temple in Jerusalem, where they had encountered God for centuries.  In the barrenness of the desert, he told them that they would encounter God in the person of Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah.  They needed to repent and change their lives in order to recognize him.

            Today, John is neither bold nor confident.  If anything, he is impatient and despondent.  He sits in the darkness of a prison cell, because he had the courage to tell Herod that he should not be living with his brother’s wife.  We can only guess why he is so impatient.  Maybe, Jesus is not acting like the Messiah whom John had expected.  He had not gotten rid of Herod and his rotten cronies.  He had not removed the threat of execution hanging over his head.  He had not been calling down fire and brimstone from heaven.  Instead, Jesus eats with tax collectors and sinners and talks about a Kingdom of mercy and compassion.  So, he sends his disciples to ask Jesus the question:  “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?”

            Jesus does not directly answer his question.  Instead, he tells John’s disciples to report to him what they hear and see.  What they hear and see are the messianic signs described by Isaiah.  Those who encounter Jesus are being changed.  The blind regain their sight.  The lame begin to walk.  Lepers are cleansed and reunited with families.  The deaf hear.  Dead people are brought back to life.   Most importantly, the poor have the good news preached to them.

            Jesus does not criticize John for doubting or being impatient.  Jesus knows that John is a human in a fallen world, like the rest of us.  So he praises him for his critical role in Salvation History.  John pointed to the Messiah.  As great as John is, anyone who embraces the kingdom of heaven is greater than John the Baptist.  In other words, anyone who performs a simple act of faith in the name of Jesus Christ is as great as the prophetic action of John the Baptist.

            By the time Saint Matthew recorded these words of Jesus, his readers needed to hear this message.  Many in the community were being persecuted for their faith and shunned by their fellow Jews.  The Romans were still in charge.  The promise of Jesus that he would come again in glory had not been realized.  That is why Matthew quotes John in the plural – are we to look for another?  He speaks for his community.  Through his Gospel, Jesus says the same thing to them 50 years after he had delivered these same words to John the Baptist.  Look around yourselves, he says, and see what happens to those who perform simple acts of faith in his name.

            Jesus says the same thing to us today.  In the darkness of our world, it is easy to get impatient.  Having faith in Jesus Christ does not take away the problems that beset us.  People still get sick and die.  War and hatred continue to destroy the lives of many.  Our country remains divided and distrustful of each other.  That is why Jesus tells us to open our eyes to see and our ears to hear signs of the Lord’s presence, even in the midst of darkness.  Those who encounter Jesus Christ can be transformed.  Enemies can be reconciled and begin to walk to each other.  Those who have been rejected by families can be welcomed back.  We proclaim the resurrection of the Lord at every Mass.  Thanks to the example of Pope Francis, the poor have the good news preached to them.

            We wear rose vestments today, because we can see signs of his presence in our troubled world.  We wait to celebrate his first coming in two weeks.  Saint James tells us to wait with patience.  Being patient does not mean that we simply resign ourselves to whatever happens.  Being patient is the fruit of a deep faith that continues to look for ways in which Christ manifests himself in his own way in our individual lives.  We don’t need to look for another.

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT

4 DECEMBER 2016

          In Israel 2,000 years ago, those who were seeking to encounter the presence of God went to the Temple in Jerusalem.  That is where the Pharisees and the Sadducees held court.  The Pharisees were the lay spiritual leaders, while the Sadducees were the officials in charge of Temple activities.  But that is not where people are going to encounter God in today’s Gospel.  They are going past the Temple to go down into the desert.  The desert is a place where there are very few distractions.  With few distractions, the desert had always been a place of testing and encounter for the children of Abraham.  Moses and Elijah had encountered God in the desert.  Moses led his people out of slavery into the desert, where they encountered God at Mount Sinai and were tested for forty years. Jesus himself went into the desert and was tested there. 

            By drawing people away from the Temple and into the solitude of the desert, John the Baptist is proclaiming a completely new reality.  The Temple will no longer be the place where people encounter God.  They will encounter God in the person of Jesus Christ, whom John will baptize.  John is dressed in the same rough garments worn by the prophet Elijah.  He eats desert food – locusts that speak of God’s judgment and honey that speaks of God’s mercy.  He bluntly tells people that they will be unable to accept the new reality of Jesus Christ unless they repent.  The Greek word he uses is metanoia, which implies a complete change of direction.  He points to Jesus Christ as the shoot sprouting from the stump of Jesse.  Just as that great tree traced back to the father of King David had been cut into a stump, he insists that they use spiritual axes to cut away anything that stands in the way of encountering Christ.  Claiming to be children of Abraham will not be sufficient, because even the Gentiles will be called to encounter the person of Jesus Christ.  That is why he calls the Pharisees and Sadducees a “brood of vipers.”  He knows that they have no interest in changing their lives.  They have come out of curiosity.  They are too invested in the Temple and all that the Temple stands for.

            On this Second Sunday of Advent, John the Baptist is speaking directly to us.  He tells us to prepare for the coming of the Lord.  The Lord has already come, and we prepare to celebrate his first coming at Christmas.  The Lord will come again at the end of our lives and at the end of the world.  John is inviting us to go to where there are no distractions to encounter the Lord.  Without distractions, we will understand that we must also repent.  We must let go of whatever separates us from the Lord Jesus Christ, as ancient farmers would hurl the newly combined wheat into the air with their winnowing fans, allowing the wind to blow away the chaff.

            John’s message is very counter cultural.  It is counter cultural in the sense that he wants us to take a good hard look into our daily lives, see the evil that eats away at us, and get rid of the chaff.  The best way to do this is to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  We will offer our Advent Penance Service a week from Tuesday, and we will offer many more opportunities in the week before Christmas.  His message is also counter cultural in the sense that he invites us to take a break from the craziness of the “Holiday Season.”  There is nothing wrong with hanging lights on trees, shopping for gifts, and preparing for Christmas feasting.  But those activities in themselves cannot draw us more deeply into our relationship with Jesus Christ.  If we are willing to go into the desert of silence and solitude, we will be tested.  But, we will also encounter Jesus Christ and know the incredible peace described by the prophet Isaiah.  Wolves are not guests of lambs in the chaotic and fractured world in which we live.  But God offers us a profound peace that the world cannot give when we know the presence of Jesus Christ, who has come to save us.

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT

27 NOVEMBER 2016

          After years of study, planning, running a capital campaign, and choosing contractors, we broke ground for our new church in the spring of 2015.  At that time, we chose a date for the dedication of the new church:  just before Thanksgiving of 2016.  According to this plan, we could use the new church during Advent and be ready for Christmas.  We were so confident of our plans that Bishop Rhoades blessed a cornerstone with the year 2016 etched on it.

            As time went on, we began to understand the old saying that “we plan, and God laughs.”  We ran into all kinds of delays – partly due to the weather, partly due to construction materials and laborers committed to other construction projects, and partly due to God’s sense of humor.  So, we came up with a new plan.  In this plan, we will dedicate the new church on March 25, 2017.  Those who are performing their daily tasks in the church have their eyes set on that date.

            On this First Sunday of Advent, our Scripture readings remind us that God also makes plans.  Isaiah speaks to a people who have suffered many bruising military defeats against the Assyrian Empire.  He tells them God’s plans for Mount Zion, where the temple is built in Jerusalem.  That mountain will be the highest place drawing people from all over the world to come and find peace.  At that time, he says, no one will need weapons of war.  Those weapons will be turned into instruments of agriculture.  But he does not say when that plan will happen.

            In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks of God’s plan for the end of the world.  He uses the Greek word parousia as an image.  Just as villagers would prepare for the coming (parousia) of an important ruler into their area, so his followers must prepare for his coming at the end of time.  That coming will fulfill all that he had accomplished through the Mysteries of his Incarnation and Paschal Mystery.  His Parousia will bring judgment and peace.  But, like Isaiah before him, he does not say when that plan will happen.

            God’s plan is at the heart of the Season of Advent.  The four weeks of Advent remind us that God is always faithful to his plan. Advent prepares us to celebrate the Lord’s first coming at Christmas.  God was faithful to his plan in a way that no one could have expected.  God took on human flesh as a baby and was born into poverty.  Advent also reminds us that the Lord will be faithful to his plan for the Parousia, his coming at the end of time.  Because we do not know the timing of that plan, we need to follow the advice of Saint Paul.  Paul points out that we passed from darkness into light in Baptism.  As baptized disciples, we put on Christ and wear our baptismal garments, allowing our actions to carry the light of Christ into a darkened world.  Like those hard workers in our new church, we wear our baptismal garments with eyes fixed on the day when the Lord will accomplish his plan. 

Paul gives some practical examples of how to wear those garments.  There is nothing wrong with going to parties, as long as the goal is to interact with people and enjoy each other’s company.  Paul does not dismiss sexual relationships.  But he insists that our gift of sexuality be connected with giving ourselves in love.  Paul knows that Christians will not always agree.  But we have to avoid egoism and ambition.  These three simple examples help us understand that waiting and being watchful are not about fear and trembling, but about living in the light.

            Use this Season of Advent as a time to enter more deeply into understanding God’s plan.  We catch glimpses of that plan in silence and prayer.  Come to the Tuesday night liturgies.  Resist the temptation to celebrate the “holiday season” now.  If we learn to be watchful and alert during this Season, we will be watchful and alert at Christmas in four weeks and at the Parousia when God’s plan will be completely revealed.

OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, KING OF THE UNIVERSE

20 NOVEMBER 2016

            On most Sundays during this Liturgical Year, we have heard from the Gospel of Saint Luke.  Throughout the year, we heard Jesus speak often of the Kingdom of God.  He announced the coming of the Kingdom of God through his teaching and parables.  He demonstrated the power of the Kingdom of God through his miracles.  He has invited all to become part of that Kingdom.  But as much as he called our attention to the presence of the Kingdom of God in our midst, he never identified the word “king” with himself.

            On this final Sunday of this Liturgical Year, he is identified as a king.  Pilate places the inscription “This is the King of the Jews” above his body hanging in shame and utter pain not to honor him, but to mock him.  He is placating the religious leaders who had demanded that Jesus be crucified, and he is warning other potential enemies of Rome not to become a zealot.

            There is a great irony in this situation.  The mockery of Pilate and the negative reactions of those surrounding the cross actually speak truth in a way that they never would have intended.  The rulers sneer at him and tell him to save himself if he is the chosen, the Christ of God.  Jesus is the chosen one, the Christ of God.  But he has not come to save himself.  He has come to give himself to others.  The soldiers jeer and say the same thing.  But Jesus has dedicated himself to serving others and dying to himself.  Even one of the criminals speaks in contempt and wants Jesus to fix this mess like the world fixes things.  He wants Jesus rescue him from the cross.  But Jesus has always insisted that the first will be last and the last will be first.  He is willing to put himself last, trusting in the Father’s promise that he would be the firstborn of all creation.

            The only person who sees the truth in this horrible spectacle is the other criminal.  We know him as the “good thief.”  He sees the truth of the Kingdom which Jesus had proclaimed.  He understands that he is suffering the results of very bad choices he has made.  He is dying because of his sins.  He sees through the mockery of Pilate and the crowds.  He recognizes the image of the invisible God and asks to be remembered when he comes into his kingdom.  At the beginning of the Gospel of Luke, the angels had announced to the shepherds that “today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.”  Now, at the end of the Gospel, Jesus responds that “today you will be with me in Paradise.”

            The “good thief” helps us understand the ways in which Jesus has become king in the line of King David.  A thousand years before the birth of Christ, David united the tribes of Judah and Israel into one kingdom.  Christ the King is the source of the unity found only in the kingdom of God.  David had been the warrior who had defeated the enemies of his kingdom.  Christ the King is the warrior who has defeated the power of sin and death and transfers us from one dimension of reality to another.  David had ruled from his royal throne.  Christ the King rules from the throne of a cross, holding all things together.

            If we understand these realities about the Kingdom of God and Christ’s central place in that kingdom, then we can begin another Liturgical Year next Sunday with great hope.  The Kingdom of God is not about the realities of Pilate, or the rulers, or the soldiers, or the other criminal.  The Kingdom of God belongs to us when we take care of others, when we die to ourselves, and when we put others first.  Even more importantly, the Kingdom of God belongs to us when we have failed to do these things and ask the Lord’s mercy and forgiveness.  As Saint Paul reminds the Colossians, Christ the King has delivered us from the power of darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of Light.

THIRTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

13NOVEMBER 2016

          By the time Saint Luke had recorded these words of Jesus, the reality he describes had already happened.  The Romans had torn down the Temple when they destroyed Jerusalem in the year 70 AD.  There was not one stone upon another in that magnificent House of God.  All that was left of Judaism were the scrolls that contained the Word of God.  But, as those words were proclaimed in synagogues, the followers of Jesus were thrown out, and those who claimed Christ as their Savior were being persecuted.  In the wake of destruction and chaos, many of them were confused, because the Lord had not come again.  To add to the confusion, there were some who were claiming that Christ had already returned in glory.

            When Jesus speaks through the Gospel of Luke to his followers in the first century, he also speaks to us in the 21^st century.  He speaks to us at the conclusion of a long and bitter political campaign that divided families and friendships.  He speaks to us as we face the threats of terrorism and hatred.  He warns us that those most precious possessions of our lives will not last.  He says the same thing to us that he had said to them.  Don’t worry about what we should say.  Trust that the Lord will continue to be the source of our strength and hope.  Continue to persevere in faith, allowing our actions to speak stronger than our words.

            That is the same advice that Saint Paul gives to the Thessalonians.  Some of the members of that community had quit their jobs, because they were convinced that they were already living in the end times.  In their idleness, they were busy talking about everyone else.  Paul tells them to get back to work, because they were a burden on the rest of the Christian community.  He seems to be bragging when he tells them to do what he did.  But, in fact, he is simply reminding them that his hard work brought the Gospel to them in the first place, and that they need to continue the hard work of making a living and bringing it to others.

            The Church wisely presents readings like these to us every year in November, as we come to the end of the Liturgical Year.  It may be disturbing to be reminded of the end of the world and the end of our lives.  But, it is also good news.  In praying for our deceased loved ones, we pray that the fire of God’s love will burn away whatever separates them from God and the Communion of Saints.  We pray that those who surround the throne of God and allow the fire of God’s love to shine through them will intercede for us.  In being reminded of our own mortality and the certainty of the end in each of our lives, the Word of God invites us to submit whatever priorities keep us from loving God and one another to the fire of God’s love.

            In reading the Gospel about the beauty of the temple, my mind turned to the beauty of our new church.  The contractors are working hard for the dedication on March 25.  As you can see from the completed outside, it will be a beautiful and fitting temple for our parish.  Even though we are careful to build it solidly and carefully, we can never predict how long this physical structure will last.  Even though we hope it will serve this parish for many years, the building of that church reminds us that we are living stones, being formed into a beautiful structure that will endure beyond death and beyond the end of the world.  With that in mind, it is time to renew our faith in Jesus Christ, work for the sake of the Kingdom of God in humble service, and persevere in holding fast to those realities that cannot be destroyed. 

THIRTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

6 NOVEMBER 2016

          The Second Book of Maccabees takes us back to a very difficult time in the history of Israel.  Two hundred years before the birth of Christ, the Seleucid Greeks had occupied Israel.  The King, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, decided that he could control a united kingdom by forcing everyone to embrace the same religion.  So, he desecrated the Temple of Jerusalem and demanded that everyone submit to the gods which he worshiped (mostly himself, to be honest).  Anyone who chose to resist would be executed.

            That is the context for today’s first reading.  The king dragged a mother and her seven sons and put them to the test.  If they would eat pork, forbidden by the Law of Moses, their lives would be spared.  However, each son adamantly refused, and each son was brutally tortured and finally executed, along with their mother.  It is a good thing that we are spared those horrible details, because our assembly includes lots of small children. 

            All seven sons resisted, along with their mother, because their faith was incredibly important to them.  They knew in their hearts that the false gods of the Greeks did not exist, and they could not compromise their consciences.  More importantly, they resisted because they believed that death was not the end.  They believed that the true God whom they worshipped would bring justice to those who murdered them and eternal life to all who remained faithful.

            Unfortunately, what happened to the children of Israel two hundred years before the birth of Christ continues in our world today.  We continue to see horrifying images of Christians being executed for their faith.  Last year, the Islamic State marched a group of Chaldean Christians in Libya to a beach on the Mediterranean Sea in orange jump suits.  When the Christians refused to deny their faith, the Islamic militants beheaded them.  Pope Francis recently canonized a 14 year old Mexican boy who refused to deny his faith at the beginning of the 20^th century when the secular Mexican government banned Catholicism.  He was brutally tortured and ultimately shot when he continued to shout “viva, Christo Rey!” (Long live Christ the King).  Father Sryian is at the Mass in the church telling about the persecutions against his religious order as they try to evangelize the people of Sri Lanka.

            The witness of these martyrs reminds us of the critical importance of our faith in Jesus Christ and the need to express it in our daily lives.  But it also reminds us that death will not be the end for us.  As Saint Paul says, the Lord is faithful to us and will share his resurrection with us, if we share his dying on a daily basis.  As the Lord himself reminds us in the Gospel, the risen life is a transformed life.  That is what the Sadducees did not understand.  They saw eternal life as ridiculous, because they imagined it as this same old life which continues in eternity.

            During this month of November, we remember our loved ones who have already passed into death, praying for them and asking the Lord to purify them and share with them the fullness of his resurrection.  In doing so, we reinforce our own faith in the Paschal Mystery for ourselves. If we die to ourselves, we will live with Christ – not in the same familiar patterns of our daily lives, but in the transformed life of the Saints surrounding God’s throne.

THIRTY-FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

30 OCTOBER 2016

          The Book of Wisdom was written 60 years before the birth of Christ to those who have much in common with us.  We struggle to understand the truths of our faith in a very secular culture.  The same is true for those Jews in Alexandria living in a Hellenistic culture.  Like our secular culture, the Hellenistic culture offered a lot of good things which improved the daily lives of the people.  But, like our culture, the Hellenistic culture posed challenges to believers.

            Hellenists were dualistic in the way they looked at the world.  Matter was seen as evil and spirits as good.  The world was formed by gods who needed to be appeased.  Success depended on appeasing certain gods and accepting the fates.  The Book of Wisdom disputes that claim.  The Book of Wisdom reaffirms what Genesis says:  God created the world as an act of pure love.  Any defect in creation and in human beings is a result of our rejection of God’s plan.  God loves us, even when we sin, and gives us many chances to turn back to him “little by little.” 

            That is what is happening to Zacchaeus.  Like last Sunday’s tax collector, Zacchaeus has done a lot of damage.  He has cooperated with the hated Romans and ripped off his own people.  While most languish under the strain of unfair taxes, he lives a comfortable life.  As the chief tax collector, he is hated even more by the people of Jericho for his despicable actions.  There is no doubt that they equate his shortness in stature with his shortness in morality.  But, like the tax collector in last Sunday’s Gospel, something must be happening in the heart of Zacchaeus.  Little by little, he seems to realize the damage he is doing. 

He must have heard about Jesus.  When Jesus comes to town, Zacchaeus wants to see him.  The nasty little man humiliates himself by climbing a sycamore tree to see him.  Jesus sees the potential goodness in this man who has ripped off so many people and invites himself to stay at his house.  In all of his sinfulness, the chief tax collector is a descendant of Abraham.  Coming down from his humiliating perch, he allows Jesus to lift him up with mercy and forgiveness.  When the people of Jericho object, the chief tax collector demonstrates his intentions to make amends.  He will give away half of his income to the poor.  He will also go well beyond the demands of the Law of Moses.  The Law requires a thief to return the stolen goods along with another one fifth when he voluntarily admits his sin.  Zacchaeus is willing to pay back what the Law requires of a thief forced to make restitution – four times the amount he has stolen.

Each one of us can identify with the chief tax collector of Jericho.  Like Zacchaeus, we have stooped to being short in moral stature.  Whether our sins have been as serious as those of the chief tax collector, they have done damage.  Jesus does not pretend that our actions have not caused damage and pain.  But, he has continued to love us and given us many chances to see our sinfulness little by little.  When we humble ourselves to climb the sycamore tree of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, he lifts us up with his mercy and graces us with the courage to make amends and face the consequences of our bad choices.

If the mercy of Jesus Christ can do this for us, then we can do the same for those who are doing damage to us.  We have to resist the tendency in our secular culture to divide everyone into good and bad people.  With the wisdom of the Gospel, we have to find ways to love those who do us harm, not in terms of having warm feelings toward them, but in terms of wanting the best for them.  We need to provide as many opportunities as possible for them to see their sins little by little.  We need to trust God’s mercy, leaving the judging to God.  

THIRTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

23 OCTOBER 2016

          When we hear this parable with 21^st century ears, we tend to identify with the tax collector.  We remember the Gospel stories from Mark and Matthew depicting Pharisees as hypocrites always in opposition to Jesus.  However, first century listeners would have heard something very different.  While the Pharisees certainly used the law and their interpretation of the law for their own benefit, this Pharisee belongs in the Temple.  He is part of a movement which has taken the holiness of the Temple and moved it into people’s families and lives.  More than likely, he is a deeply religious person who does the things he mentions in his prayer.  In fasting twice a week, he shows that he is serious about practicing his faith.  He has embraced the message of stewardship and tithes 10% of his income.  He probably is honest in his business dealings and is completely faithful to his wife.  He is a decent religious man.

            That is not true of the tax collector.  He is not a decent person.  He works for the hated Romans to collect outrageous amounts of taxes to fund their oppressive occupation of the Jewish homeland.  While his fellow Jews become more impoverished under the weight of unfair taxation, he lives a comfortable life.  He and his fellow tax collectors are traitors who enrich themselves at the expense of everyone else.  Although he does not mention his sins in his prayer, the Pharisee is probably correct in judging him to be greedy, dishonest, and adulterous.  More than likely, the weight of his sins brought him to his knees to consider how his lifestyle and his actions have ruined his relationship with God and with other people.  He can only repeat the words of Psalm 51:  “Oh God, be merciful to me a sinner.”

            Jesus says that the tax collector goes home justified.  Weighed down by sinfulness and shame, the tax collector addresses God directly.  He trusts that God welcomes and loves every honest and contrite heart.  He experiences the incredible mercy received by the prodigal son.  God justifies him in a way that he could never have earned.  In this Year of Mercy, the tax collector helps us to understand what Pope Francis is talking about when he speaks of mercy.

            To be honest, we are more like the Pharisee than the tax collector.  We care enough about our faith to gather together in this Temple to praise and thank God for all we have.  We are serious about religious practices when we fast during the season of Lent and listen to talks about stewardship.  We work at giving back to God a portion of what God has given to us.  We try to be honest in our business dealings and faithful to our spouses.  But, we can also be like the Pharisee in making judgments.  We can always find someone less faithful and more sinful than ourselves.  We can look down on a neighbor whose car never leaves the garage on Sunday morning and who will show up for First Communion.  When we move into the new church, we might resent that some who have never sacrificed for the capital campaign will be just as welcome as those who have made great sacrifices.

            The parable warns us against making these kinds of comparisons.  The parable tells us to address our prayers to God, and not just speak prayers to ourselves.  The parable invites us to acknowledge the ways in which we have failed and to ask for God’s mercy.  That is what Saint Paul does when he writes to his friend, Timothy.  Paul had been a Pharisee.  Paul speaks of the successes he has enjoyed and the faithful ways in which he has run the race.  But Paul addresses his prayer directly to God.  Paul knows his accomplishments are not a result of his own efforts, but because of God’s grace working through his actions.  That needs to be our prayer.  We can also focus on running the good race and keeping the faith.  We leave the judgment of those who do not run as well as we do to God and trust in his merciful love for everyone.

TWENTY-NINTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

9 OCTOBER 2016

          The parables of Jesus speak to our imaginations.  In today’s parable, Jesus invites us to imagine a poor widow with no power pestering an unjust judge with lots of power.  There is nothing good about this judge, since he has no respect for God or for anyone else.  But, this widow keeps pestering him until he finally gives in to her.  He rules in her favor, not because there is anything good about him, but because he is afraid that she will beat him up!  Those who heard this parable from the mouth of Jesus must have laughed.

            This parable is about persistence.  The widow succeeds, because she is persistent and will not quit.  But we cannot imagine that God grants our requests only when he gets tired of hearing from us.  Unlike the unjust judge, God is love and complete goodness.  We do not change God’s mind through our persistence in prayer.  Instead, persistent prayer changes us!  If we continue to bring our needs persistently in prayer before God and continue to trust in God’s love for us, our prayer will open us more completely to the way God looks at things.  Once we become more aware of God’s will and plan for the world, persistent prayer brings a deeper assurance that justice will eventually triumph.  The battle between good and evil has already been won by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Like Moses, we raise our hands in prayer confident of that victory.  But, we tend to get discouraged when we experience the effects of sin and evil.  We need to support one another in prayer and trust in the power of that prayer, just as Aaron supported Moses and kept his hands raised in prayer.  The battle won by Jesus Christ over sin and death will triumph, just as Joshua and his army defeated the forces of Amalek. 

            There is another way to look at this parable.  Instead of seeing God as the unjust judge, we can see God as the poor widow.  If God is the poor widow, then we become the unjust judge.  God persistently pursues us to draw us more closely to him and make us more faithful and intentional disciples.  That is what Saint Paul says to his friend, Timothy.  The Lord first pursued Timothy through the faith of his mother and grandmother.  When he passed through the waters of baptism, he was incorporated into the mystery of Jesus Christ.  The Lord continued to pursue him when Paul laid hands on him and appointed him as leader of the Christian community.  He became discouraged in that role.  So, Paul tells Timothy to read the Scriptures and preach their truth.  Just as the Lord has been persistent in forming him as an intentional disciple, Timothy must persist in trusting that God is in charge.

            The Lord is persistent in pursuing us.  He has incorporated us to himself when we were baptized.  If we look closely at the events of our lives, we can see how the Lord pursues us to take our baptismal promises seriously.  He speaks to us in his Word at this Mass and when we open the Scriptures in our private prayers.  He feeds us with his Body and Blood in the Eucharist.  He uses the ordinary experiences of our lives to form us into more intentional disciples.  He pursues us though retreats like Christ Renews His Parish and through involvement with various ministries in the parish to become more intentional disciples.  He never gives up on us, because he wants us to know the fullness of his victory over sin and death in the New and Eternal Jerusalem.

            It is sometimes tempting to give up, especially when things are not going well, or when it seems that the Lord does not answer our prayers.  The Lord continues to persistently pursue us at every level.  He invites us to pray with persistence in response, trusting that the victory has been won and will be fully realized in God’s time.

TWENTY-EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

9 OCTOBER 2016

          Saint Luke does not tell us why nine of the ten healed lepers do not return to thank Jesus.  We can only guess.  Maybe they were so excited about the removal of their pain and isolation that they rushed home and forgot.  Leprosy was a terrible scourge in the ancient world.  Not only did the disease cause horrible pain.  It also isolated the leper completely from the community, in an effort to protect the rest of the community from being infected.  Or, maybe they concluded that the Law of Moses healed them.  They might have thought that they were entitled to being healed, because they followed the Law and were going to show themselves to the priests.

            Saint Luke clearly tells us that Jesus is disappointed that only one leper has returned to give thanks, and this leper is a Samaritan, a person clearly outside the Law of Moses.  Jesus had been expecting the return of all ten, because he was not finished with them.  He had intended the physical healing as a first step to open their eyes to see that the messianic age is now present in him.  They may have been healed.  But, in their failure to express gratitude, they did not receive the ultimate gift of Jesus – the gift of salvation, given to the healed Samaritan leper.

            We can learn a very important lesson from this healing miracle.  We must admit that we have more in common with the nine healed lepers than we think.  Like them, we have received many blessings.  Our lives are blessed in more ways than we can imagine.  Despite troubles and difficulties, we have the best standard of living of anyone in the entire world.  It is easy to take our standard of living for granted.  So many times, it is only when we travel to Third World countries or participate on mission trips to impoverished areas of our own country that we fully realize how blessed we are.  Those experiences open our eyes to the fact that it is easy to consider ourselves entitled to our blessings; much like the Jewish lepers might have felt entitled to the healing they received in following the Law of Moses.  When we have an attitude of entitlement, then we forget to express our gratitude.  We think that we have earned the good life, forgetting that everything we have is ultimately a gift from God.  Like children who become accustomed to lavish gifts at Christmas or at birthdays, we expect our blessings to happen.

            If we listen to the first reading from the Book of Kings, we learn another lesson from Naaman, a Syrian general living 800 years before the birth of Christ.  Naaman had everything:  wealth, power, prestige, and a very fit athletic body.  He led soldiers into battle and plundered his enemies, enriching himself and his family.  But, he lost all of that when he was afflicted with the disease of leprosy.  As a leper suffering physical pain and emotional trauma from being separated from his community, he was humbled to ask for help from Elisha, a prophet in enemy territory.  Things got worse when Elisha told him to plunge into the River Jordan seven times.  The rivers in Syria were much better!  But, he did it and was healed.  His leprosy humbled him to ask for help and brought him to believe in the God who healed him through Elisha. 

            In one way or another, each of us is a leper.  Each of us has something in our lives that causes pain and separation.  Leprosy can bring us to our knees in such a way that we cry out for help.  Our leprosy can bring us to the God who can heal us and bring us salvation.  Once we understand our need for salvation, we can express gratitude for all the gifts God has given us.  We often talk about Saint Pius being a stewardship parish.  This is the heart of living stewardship as a way of life:  a deep and abiding gratitude for all the gifts God has given us.  And that is why we are here today:  to give thanks to God for all of the gifts God has given us and to continue to seek the salvation won for us in Christ Jesus.

TWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

2 OCTOBER 2016

          Saint Paul knows that his friend Timothy is discouraged.  Things had not been going well for Timothy as he leads the Christian community.  So Paul writes to him and speaks from his own experience.  He had been persecuted, rejected, and imprisoned for preaching the Gospel.  From his prison cell, Paul gives solid advice.  He reminds Timothy of the flame of faith given to him first at his baptism, and then again when Paul had laid hands on him to entrust to him the apostolic duty of guarding the rich deposit of faith.  Paul encourages him not to give in to a spirit of cowardice and to use his God-given gifts of power and love and self-control.

            Those gifts are worth examining.  The Greek word for “power” is the root word for our English word, “dynamite.”  If Timothy can use his power in a positive way, he can do what God does.  Instead of blowing up what holds the community together, Timothy can use his power to shake things up, bring hope from despair, and forgiveness from resentment.  The word he uses for “love” has nothing to do with feelings or emotions.  He speaks of the love of Jesus Christ, who gave completely of himself for our salvation.  Even if Timothy gets nothing back in return, his active love for his people will build up his community in ways he cannot imagine.  Finally, Timothy needs to use his gift of self-control.  If he is going to fan the flame of faith into a fire that cannot be extinguished, he needs to be disciplined in living his vocation.

            In today’s Gospel, the Apostles are beginning to understand that being a disciple can be difficult and demanding.  So, they ask Jesus to increase their faith.  He tells them that if they have faith the size of a mustard seed (which is really small), they can accomplish wonders, like causing mulberry trees to fly into the sea!  Jesus does not use the word “faith” as a quantity which can be measured.  Rather, faith is a deep and abiding trust in God and God’s working in our world.  Trusting in God admits that they can accomplish very little on their own.  As long as they see themselves as servants of the Gospel and give themselves continually in humble service, their faith will allow God to accomplish more than they can ever imagine.

            Last month, Pope Francis declared Mother Teresa a Saint.  With faith the size of a mustard seed, she began her ministry of service by picking up lepers and dying people from the streets of Calcutta and caring for them.  As we know from one of her biographers, she often did not feel anything of God’s presence.  But she persisted with her mustard seed of faith and her humble service.  Today, her community of sisters has extended to the entire world, caring for those most at the fringes of society.  Hundreds of them gathered in Saint Peter’s Square for her canonization.  It was her faith (the size of a mustard seed) in God and her humble service that accomplished more than she could ever have imagined.

            Each of us has some degree of faith.  Otherwise, we would not be here today.  Even if our faith is the size of the mustard seed, we struggle to trust in God.  That faith enables us to accomplish what seems to be beyond our strength.  We can use the gift of power to forgive terrible hurts and blow up lingering resentments that paralyze us from reaching out to those who have harmed us.  We may not be capable on our own, but God can work through us.  We can use the gift of love to put ourselves in humble service of others.  Like Mother Teresa’s investment, the Lord can transform our acts of service into something truly beautiful beyond our imagining.  We can use the gift of self-control to order our lives in such a way that God can work through us and our actions.  After all, we are unprofitable servants.  We cannot accomplish much on our own and from our limited perspective.  But, God can accomplish incredible things through us, as long as we use those gifts given to us at our Baptism:  power, love, and self-control.  

TWENTY-SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

25 SEPTEMBER 2016

            I wonder if the rich man ever felt uncomfortable when he walked over Lazarus covered with sores and starving at his doorstep, as I feel when I drive by those people holding cardboard signs at street corners in our area.  Whether he did or not, he ignored him and clung to his fine clothing, wine, and good food.  Whether he felt uncomfortable or not, he did nothing to narrow the gap between them.  That distance remained in eternity, with the rich man isolated and Lazarus resting in the bosom of Abraham.  The anonymous rich man remained alone, while Lazarus enjoyed the company of the saints. 

            This parable challenges us to notice those in need and respond to narrow the gap.  Please give your attention to the back of the church, as Bishop Rhoades invites us to respond to the needs of our Diocese through the Annual Bishop’s Appeal.

TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

18 SEPTEMBER 2016

          The steward in today’s parable receives a wakeup call.  His master calls him in and fires him for squandering his money.  Much as the prodigal son had decided to return home after squandering his father’s possessions, the steward goes to his master’s debtors and reduces the amount each one had owed.  While the father had embraced his younger son and welcomed him home, the master commends the dishonest steward for acting prudently.

            In this strangest of parables, Jesus is not encouraging us to cheat in our business dealings.  Instead, the parable is about relationships.  The steward has established good relations with his master’s debtors.  The master knows that he will be regarded more favorably by those who owe him money.  Relationships are far more important than possessions.

            Today’s Scripture readings are a wakeup call for all disciples of Jesus Christ.  The Lord challenges us to put him first and to use our possessions as means in our journey to the New and Eternal Jerusalem, and not as ends in themselves.  The prophet Amos reminds us that treating possessions as ends in themselves can make us greedy, ignoring the needs of the poor and exploiting them to increase our wealth at any cost.

            We hear these words on the Sunday when we are invited to renew our commitment to the stewardship of sacrificial giving.  We have renewed our stewardship of prayer during Lent and service during the Easter Season.  The stewardship of sacrificial giving invites us to be good stewards of the possessions that are ultimately gifts from God.  Instead of regarding them as ends in themselves, we share a first and generous portion of them to form relationships with this parish community.  Over the past few years, our parish has taken steps in faith to set aside 8 ½ % of our income to maintain a relationship with our sister parish of Saint Adalbert and with those who ask for financial help.  Read the materials in the packet available in the back of church.  Pray over your decision, and consider the possibility of using online giving as a tool.  I’ve been using that method for a couple of years and find it very helpful. You would expect me to say this.  That is why we have asked Jared and Jenny Dees to tell their story of how they have come to include this third component of stewardship as a way of life.

TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

11 SEPTEMBER 2016

          We often talk about searching for God.  We look for ways to find God in our world and in our daily lives.  But, today’s Scripture readings remind us of a greater truth.  God is actively searching for us.  God searched for his people enslaved in Egypt, led them into the freedom of the desert, and remained with them, even when they worshiped false gods.  God searched for Saul of Tarsus as he was on his way to persecute the Christians of Damascus and remained with him as Paul the Apostle.  As Jesus makes clear, God never stops searching for those who are lost.  God never gives up on anyone.

            That is why Jesus asks his rhetorical questions to the Pharisees, the religious shepherds of the people.  He knows the answer to his questions.  No shepherd would leave 99 sheep to search after one lost one and invite others to rejoice with him when he comes home with the wayward sheep on his shoulders.  No woman would waste the expense of lighting a lamp and throwing a party to look for one lost coin when she still has nine.  And no father would throw a huge party for the return of an idiot son who had considered him to be dead and who had wasted half of his inheritance.  Knowing the word “prodigal” to mean excessive and wasteful, it is not only the son who is excessive and wasteful.  It is the father who is excessive and wasteful with his mercy.

            To be honest, we are all the “older sons” of the parable.  We care enough about God’s love to get up and bring our families to observe the Lord’s Day.  We labor, like the older son, to give humble service to the parish.  We sacrifice, like the older son, so that people can marvel at the beautiful building which is overshadowing the car wash on the corner.  And yet, we also know those who are like lost sheep, crying out in pain and not knowing what to do about their situation.  Or we know people who are so lost, that like inanimate coins, they have no idea of how lost they are.  In our families and social circles, we also know people who have made very bad choices which have affected our lives in very negative ways; much like the younger son’s bad choices affected the older son and his rightful share of his father’s inheritance.

            Today’s Scriptures reflect the message of the Year of Mercy proclaimed by Pope Francis.  They invite us to seek out those who are like lost sheep or coins or younger sons.  The younger son comes to his senses when he realized the bad choices he had made.  He has the humility to admit his sins and ask for forgiveness.  He has the determination to make the long trip back home, even if that trip results in his being a slave at his father’s house.  The intention of God’s love is to seek people out and transform them.  Just as God’s love transformed Saul of Tarsus into the great Apostle to the Gentiles, God’s love has the power to transform even those who have damaged us by their bad choices.  Instead of becoming angry or jealous like the older son, Jesus invites us to be honest about what is lost in each one of us and open ourselves to be transformed and rejoice in God’s boundless mercy.

TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

4 SEPTEMBER 2016

          Saint Paul presents his friend Philemon with a dilemma.  Philemon’s slave had run away from his master and had come to Saint Paul, who was in prison in Ephesus.  Paul and Onesimus developed a strong relationship, and Paul appreciated the support he received from a slave whose name means “helpful.”  In prison, Paul baptized Onesimus and welcomed him into the Body of Christ.  Paul readily admits his affection for the slave whom he now calls “my child.”  Paul would prefer to keep him as his helpful companion.

            But Paul also knows the law of the Roman Empire.  According to the law, Philemon owns Onesimus as his property.  If you have seen the movie, Twelve Years a Slave, you can more readily understand what it means for an owner to regard another human being as property.  Slavery was part of a vast economic system in the ancient world.  Onesimus became a slave either because his town or village was conquered, or because he was sold into slavery to satisfy a debt.  As a disciple of Jesus Christ, Philemon has to decide how to handle Paul’s request.  Will he take Onesimus back as his slave but treat him kindly because of their common bond in baptism?  Will he free him to reflect the freedom of the children of God?  Will he punish him severely to make sure that his other slaves do not try to run away and rob him of his property?

            We have no idea what Philemon did.  But we do know that the dilemma placed on Philemon is placed on all Christian disciples.  Jesus is very clear about that in the Gospel.  He speaks to the great crowds who are travelling with them.  He is a rock star.  They love his words and admire his healing.  But he wants them to understand that there will be no great crowds surrounding him when he is nailed to a cross.  Most will run away when he gives himself totally out of love.  He wants them to know that he expects them to show this same self-sacrificing love and carry their crosses.  That means putting Jesus Christ ahead of everyone and everything else.

            His words are so harsh that they get our attention.  He is not speaking of the emotion of hate when he talks about hating members of our families.  He is talking about attitudes and patterns of behavior.  If we really love, then our attitudes and patterns of behavior put God first.  Some saints have found that putting God first did alienate them from their families.  That happened to Saint Francis of Assisi when he put God first and defied his wealthy father’s plan to make him a merchant and gave everything away.  The same is true of Saint Thomas Aquinas when he wanted to join the Dominicans.  His family locked him up.  Sadly, our own Father Craig Borchard has suffered when he responded to God’s call to become a priest.  He put God first and paid for it with rejection from members of his family.

            The Rite of Baptism reminds us of the price we pay when we put God first.  The first gift we give at Baptism is the cross.  We trace the sign of the cross on the head of an infant and invite the parents and godparents to do the same.  We do the same with the Rite of Welcome when we prepare anyone over the age of seven for Baptism.  The sponsor traces the sign of the cross over various parts of the Catechumen’s body and then gives a cross to be worn.  We remind them of the cost of discipleship and the need to be prepared for the cross, much as the builder has to calculate before he builds and a leader of an army before the attack.

            Ironically, if we place God first in our lives, even ahead of family members and all possessions, we will love them in a more authentic way.  We will recognize them more clearly as gifts from God to be used on our journey to the new and eternal Jerusalem.  We will not regard them as ends in themselves and the necessary guarantee of our happiness.  Saint Paul challenged Philemon to put God first.  We don’t know what Philemon did, but we can decide for ourselves.

TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

28 AUGUST 2016

            The Gospel of Saint Luke contains many stories of Jesus reclining at table and sharing meals.  Sharing meals allowed him to share fellowship and satisfy the deepest hungers of people.  He had fed thousands of people with five loaves and two fish.  He shared meals with sinners, tax collectors, and prostitutes.  He would share one last meal with his disciples on the night before he died, giving himself to generations of followers in his real presence under the form of bread and wine.  Jesus considered meals to be sacred events.

            Today, Jesus dines at the home of one of the leading Pharisees, the “holy” people of his day.  The dinner occurs on a Sabbath, the week’s most sacred day set aside for worship of God and time for rest.  The Pharisee had invited a man suffering from dropsy, knowing that Jesus would certainly notice his very visible illness. Not only does Jesus notice the man, but, as Lord of the Sabbath, he heals the man and dismisses him.  He then turns to his hosts and asks what they would have done if a son or an ox had fallen into a cistern.  They are unable to answer his question.  They know that they would have acted, even on a Sabbath, and could not openly challenge Jesus healing one of the Father’s beloved children.

Because our Scripture skips that account, we pick up the story in today’s Gospel.  Instead of sharing a meal in fellowship and communion, they watch him to see what he will do next.  But, he turns the tables on them and watches what they are doing.  He notices that guests are scrambling to get the places of honor at the table.  They compete to assert their close relationship with the host and their importance to him.  Just as he had made a strong statement by healing the man suffering from dropsy, now he tells a strong parable about humility.  Those who grab the best places put themselves at risk when they try to bring honor to themselves.  In a culture of honor and shame, they are shamed when the host tells them to take the lowest place.  Instead, Jesus says, take the lowest place.  If there is an authentic relationship with the host, he will address them with the affectionate title of friend and invite them to a higher position.

Jesus does not confine this parable to those gathered at that meal in the home of the leading Pharisee.  He tells it to us, gathered for this Sacred Meal.  He reminds us that humility is one of the most important virtues in the spiritual life.  The word “humility” comes from the Latin word humus, which means earth.  The Lord has formed us from the clay of the earth.  Truly humble people understand that everything we are and have is a gift from God.  We do not have to build ourselves up for others to see or brag about any of our relationships or any of our accomplishments.  In learning to be truly humble, we make an ultimate act of faith and abandon ourselves to the will and care of God.  We do not deny our gifts.  Instead, we are grateful.

Jesus took the lowest place in taking on human flesh and shared meals with sinners, tax collectors, and prostitutes.  He reached out to the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind, knowing that they could never repay him.  Because he humbled himself, took the lowest place, and died on the cross, the Father raised him from the dead and seated him at the highest place.  He has invited us to this Sacred Meal, not because we can pay him back, but because he knows the ways each of us are poor, crippled, lame, and blind.  Once he feeds us at the table of his Word and the Table of the Eucharist, he challenges us to do the same.  Last Wednesday, a couple came to my rescue and did the work of hosting a meal for members of Parish Council and their families.  When I thanked them publicly, the woman blurted out:  “Don’t thank us.  We did this to be thanked in heaven!”  That should be true for all of us, as we hear the Lord speaking to us and as we are fed by the Lord’s Body and Blood at this Sacred Meal.

TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (FEAST OF ST. PIUS X)

21 AUGUST 2016

          When someone asks Jesus the question of how many will be saved, this person asks the question as a descendent of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  The questioner probably presumes that only children of Abraham will be saved, excluding all Gentiles, sinners, tax collectors, and others known as public sinners.  Jesus turns that expectation upside down.  He replies to the question on his way to Jerusalem.  Once he reaches Jerusalem, he will enter the “narrow gate” of betrayal, pain, and death on a cross.  He is already striving to enter that narrow gate by the choices he is making on the way.  Instead of bringing attention to himself, he proclaims the Kingdom of God.  Instead of doing what he wants, he pursues his Father’s will.  Instead of having people wait on him, he serves the needs of others.

            Jesus really does not answer that question of how many will be saved.  Instead, he challenges the presumption that belonging to the right group of people is enough to assure salvation.  He warns the assembled crowds that they cannot delay in making a decision to follow him through the narrow gate.  They must decide to follow him now.  Just being with him and listening to his words and eating and drinking in his company will not be enough.  Those who want to be saved must actively pursue the Kingdom of God and its values.  They must strive to know and do the Father’s will.  They must be humble servants.  They must know that striving to enter through the narrow gate involves embracing the cross of Christ on a daily basis.

            Jesus speaks these words to us today as we celebrate our patronal feast day.  We center our celebration of the Feast of Saint Pius at this Mass and all the Masses this weekend.  We do lots of fun things – like gambling, running races, and enjoying each other’s company at the picnic this afternoon.  We give thanks that God has formed us as living stones into a human temple, symbolized by the physical stones of our new church as it gradually takes shape.  But Jesus does not mince words in challenging us to actively strive to enter through the narrow gate.  We can never presume that we are at the head of the line knocking on the door to eternity.  We can never be arrogant and think that we are better than other parishes.  We always need to look for ways to grow into a more authentic faith.  We can always improve the ways we proclaim the Kingdom, pursue the Father’s will, or give ourselves in humble service, especially to the poor.

            Striving to enter the narrow gate involves carrying the cross of Jesus Christ on a daily basis.  That can be difficult and discouraging.  The Letter to the Hebrews compares the pain of carrying those crosses with the discipline given by parents to their children.  My father was very hard on me when I was growing up, and I did not like it.  But, as I began to mature, I also began to appreciate that he was forming me as his oldest son to be responsible.  That discipline did not stop with Ordination.  Bishop D’Arcy was always calling me to correct me for something.  I would return from vacation to hear him on my voice mail:  “Bill, this is Bishop D’Arcy.  I know you said not to leave a message, but I am your bishop.”  And then he would correct me for something I had said or done.  Later, I came to understand that he really cared for me as one of his sons.  He saw making me a Monsignor as a way of expressing that care.

            It is good for us to celebrate our annual Feast Day, and it is a great way to get started in the new school year.  The Lord wants everyone to be saved.  But, he does not force his love on us.  He loves us so much that he gives us the freedom to reject him.  He invites us to freely accept it and to continue to strive to enter the narrow door.  He wants us to strengthen our drooping hands and weak knees when the cross seems to bear us down.  He wants us to make straight paths for our feet, that what is lame may not be disjointed but healed.

TWENTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

14 AUGUST 2016

          The author of the Letter to the Hebrews compares the life of a disciple of Jesus Christ to running a marathon.  Unlike sprinters, marathoners train for the long haul.  If you have ever run a marathon, or know someone who has, you understand he difficulties.  You know the physical pain, the spiritual stamina, and the determination to keep your eyes focused on the finish line. You also know the importance of crowds of people cheering you on, offering water and healthy snacks, and family and friends waiting at the finish line.  The Letter to the Hebrews points out that Jesus had taken on human flesh and has run that marathon, enduring a shameful death and crossing the finish line.  The saints form that great crowd of witnesses who had also run the race.  Not only do they cheer us on, but they also intercede for us and provide the support we need when we encounter the difficulties of running our marathon as disciples.

            Jesus does not mince words when he warns that there will be costs in our marathon of discipleship.  He speaks in the tradition of the prophets who were hated for speaking the truth.  The prophet Jeremiah preceded Jesus by 600 years and had spoken the truth in the name of God, telling the king that he should surrender to the Babylonian army.  Jeremiah had argued that the real cause of the sufferings of his people were the result of their infidelity to the Covenant.  However, the king regarded Jeremiah as a traitor and accused him of demoralizing the army and the citizens of Jerusalem.  So, he threw Jeremiah into a cistern, where he would have died if a foreigner had not become part of a cloud of witnesses to save his life.

            Jesus not only speaks the truth in the name of God.  He is the Incarnate Word of God.  As he makes his way on his marathon journey toward Jerusalem, he has been faithful to the mission which the Father had given him when his cousin John had baptized him in the Jordan River.  In speaking the truth about God’s Kingdom in both word and action, he has proclaimed a message of radical peace.  But in order for that peace to take root, whatever false peace of the culture remained had to be burned away.  Jesus knows that he will be betrayed in Jerusalem, that he will undergo horrible suffering, and that he will die in complete shame on the horrible tool which the Romans used for execution.  He also warns his followers that they too will be opposed if they ran the same marathon.  By the time Saint Luke had written this Gospel, many Christians were already experiencing the fire of division.  There were divisions in families, especially when disciples remained faithful to the marathon into which they had been baptized.

            The same is true for us.  If we are faithful to the authentic peace proclaimed by Jesus Christ in running our marathon of discipleship, we will sooner or later encounter the fire of division, especially if we have the courage to confront the false peace promised by our culture.  We will be burned if we proclaim that life is a precious gift of God to be respected from conception to natural death, because we will defy the false peace of our culture that individuals matter only when they can produce something.  If we insist on being honest and fair in business, we will be burned by competitors who see nothing wrong with cheating.  If we regard all our possessions as gifts from God that can be shared generously with those in need, then we will be burned by the consumerism that always looks for bargains instead of ways to be generous.

            In four months, we will sing Christmas Carols announcing the birth of the Prince of Peace.  On his marathon journey to Jerusalem, Jesus remains the Prince of Peace.  But he also teaches that embracing his authentic peace involves the burning away of false claims to peace.  He encourages us to endure that fire and keep our eyes on the finish line.  We can do it, because there is a huge crowd of witnesses cheering us on.

EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

31 JULY 2016

          As Jesus continues his journey to Jerusalem in Saint Luke’s Gospel, he has been speaking to thousands of people.  In particular, he has been addressing his disciples:  those who have left everything to follow him.  He is honest with them, telling them that their commitment to him and the Gospel will involve suffering and persecution.  To balance his warning, Jesus also assures his followers that those sufferings and persecutions will not last.  Authentic followers will be richly rewarded in the fullness of God’s Kingdom at the end of time.

            All of a sudden, someone in the crowd interrupts him.  Clearly, this person is not listening, because he wants Jesus to settle a dispute about his father’s inheritance.  It is almost a first century version of Jesus taking on the role of Judge Judy in The People’s Court.  Instead of allowing himself to be drawn into a dispute about issues of inheritance, Jesus doubles down on his message of eternal life.  He echoes the words of Qoheleth and warns that all is vanity.  In telling the parable of the rich man, he reminds his listeners that death is the defining moment for everyone.  No matter how hard we work or how carefully we plan, we cannot take the goods of this earth with us when we die. 

            This is an extremely important message for us who are disciples of Jesus Christ.  As Saint Paul reminds us, we died with Christ when we entered the waters of Baptism and have been raised with Christ when we emerged from those waters. Saint Paul echoes the words of Jesus about suffering for the sake of the Kingdom when he reminds us that we die to the vanities of this life every time we keep our baptismal promises.  That does not mean that we should not work hard to support our families or make wise investments for our future or the future of our children and grandchildren.  Nor does it mean that we should not work with estate planners to carefully craft wills for those who succeed us after death. 

            Instead, both Jesus and Saint Paul insist that we distinguish between enriching ourselves now and making ourselves rich in those things that last beyond death.  To put it in another way, being disciples means that we distinguish between what we want and what we need.  We may want fancy cars to grab the attention of others.  But we need safe vehicles to transport us from one place to another.  We may want huge homes that impress the neighbors.  But we need safe and clean places in which we live and raise our families.  We may want to accumulate as much wealth as we possibly can.  But we need to be mindful that our possessions are ultimately gifts from God, allowing us to share a portion of those gifts with the poor and those who do not have what they need to live.  We may want to ensure that the money we leave for our children will guarantee them success.  But we need to trust that God will take care of those we love, no matter what happens to the market or any fluctuations in the economy beyond our control.

            In one of his letters, Saint Paul suggests where we need to place our energy in making investments that last: the three theological virtues of faith, hope, and love.  In making sure that our families have a sound footing, we invest in the virtue of faith.  We may not leave our children millions, but they stand on the firm rock of faith.  In planning for their future security, we can give them hope – hope that the love of Jesus Christ will never abandon those who trust in him.  In giving them the best gifts money can buy, we remember that the greatest gifts are the gifts of our self-sacrifice – the gifts of love which death cannot destroy.  Unlike the rude man in the Gospel who is obsessed with the trivial, superficial jealousy of the money he did not get in his inheritance, we keep our focus on the gifts given to us through the Paschal Mystery:  dying with Christ to share in the fullness of his resurrection.