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.