TWENTY-SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

29 SEPTEMBER 2019

          In the worldly kingdoms in which we dwell, the rich and the powerful are remembered by name.  This is not true in the kingdom of God, as we see in today’s parable.  The rich man who lived a very comfortable life is not given a name.  However, the poor beggar sitting at his gate is named:  Lazarus (which means “God has helped”).  The only fact we know about the rich man is that he ignored the plight of Lazarus, sitting at his gate.  The only fact we know about Lazarus is his miserable situation is reversed after death when he is taken to the bosom of Abraham.

            This parable is uncomfortable for us, because we are the rich man.  We eat well, wear comfortable clothing, and live in nice houses.  There is no mistaking the intent of this parable.  We cannot ignore the plight of the poor, as the children of Abraham had done at the time of the Prophet Amos.  That is why we set aside 5% of our income for Saint Adalbert and another 3 ½% for the needs of the poor who come to us.  That is why we support Father Larry’s parish in Uganda and why we support the work of our Saint Vincent de Paul Society. 

            Please direct your attention to this Bishop’s Appeal Video.  In it, Bishop Rhoades outlines three interconnected activities that we undertake as Church:  our worship of God, our task of evangelizing, and our care for the poor.

TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

22 SEPTEMBER 2019

          Jesus has a unique way of getting our attention with his parables.  This is especially true with this parable of the dishonest steward.  Stewards in charge of their master’s possessions had wide responsibilities.  His contemporaries would have been surprised that the dishonest steward “got away with murder.”  When we hear it in our own cultural context, it seems that Jesus is encouraging us to be dishonest to get out of trouble. 

            Now that Jesus has gotten our attention, we must remember that this parable follows after the Parable of the Prodigal Son.  That son did something outrageous (which is what “prodigal” means).  He demanded his share of the inheritance.  This demand is outrageous because the inheritance is passed down only after the father’s death and only to the older son.  The son considered his father dead and trampled on the rights of his older brother.  When the son finally came to his senses and realized the mess he had created, he decided to return to his father and offer to serve as one of his slaves.  Instead, the father did something even more outrageous.  He showered mercy on him and welcomed him back as his son.

            The steward in today’s parable also acts outrageously.  He had been squandering his master’s property and got caught.  He came to his senses when his master announced that he was being fired.  Like the prodigal son, he also takes action.  He negotiates with his master’s debtors to provide himself an income.  Instead of condemning his steward, his master commends him for the way in which he acted so prudently. 

            The key to understanding both parables lies in the mercy and outrageous generosity of God.  Both parables teach us that we are dependent on God for life itself.  Only God can save us.  Jesus clarifies this truth with sayings about wealth and possessions.  He refers to our wealth and possessions as “very small matters.”  We need them to sustain our lives on our pilgrimage to the New and Eternal Jerusalem.  When we realize that we depend on God for everything, our trust in possessions is put into perspective.  If we are trustworthy with these “very small matters,” expressing our gratitude and sharing them in generous ways, then we open ourselves to the ultimate and greatest matter of sharing in the Lord’s rising as we share in his dying.

            Jesus tells us that we cannot serve two masters.  We must choose between God and mammon.  The word “mammon” comes from the Aramaic language that Jesus spoke.  The Aramaic word simply means “riches”.  Those “riches” are not only the wealth we might have, but they also include other material things like power or prestige or success.  In challenging us to make a choice between serving God and mammon, Jesus warns us that putting all our energies into mammon can easily distract us from depending on God alone.  Our Church suffers today, because too many priests and bishops in the sex abuse crisis opted to give lordship to the mammon of power instead of trusting in God and the needs of the Church.

            That is the message of the prophet Amos.  Seven centuries before the birth of Christ, the wealthy people were so focused on making money and making themselves comfortable that they completely forgot about the needs of the poor.  Worse, their pursuit of wealth included taking advantage of the poor and those who lived on the margins.  They were impatient to get beyond the Sabbath and religious feasts so that they can get back to their business of doing anything they could to increase their wealth.  Like Amos, Jesus is calling us to look at our own wealth, our own possessions, and our own efforts to sustain and increase them.  Do we give lordship to God?  Or do we spend all our energies giving lordship to mammon?

TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

15 SEPTEMBER 2019

          The Pharisees and scribes believe that they have earned the right to come close to divinity by their observance of the law.  They criticize Jesus for eating with tax collectors and sinners, who have forfeited that right through their sins.  They cannot see that Jesus is holy or prophetic if he comes close to these losers.  They forget that their ancestors in the desert had not earned the right to be associated with divinity.  Their ancestors had thanked a golden calf for leading them from slavery to freedom, denying that God had been the source of their salvation.  Through the intercession of Moses, God relented and found a people who were lost.

            Instead of trying to define the concept of mercy in precise theological terms, Jesus chooses to tell three insightful parables.  Each parable explains how God seeks out what is lost.  God is like the woman who cleaned her house to find a lost coin of very little value.  Coins are inanimate objects and cannot know that they are lost.  God does not give up, even when a person has no concept of being made in God’s image and no clue of being lost.  God is like the shepherd who went after the lost sheep.  A lost sheep may be aware of being lost, but can do nothing about it.  God continues to seek out those who know they are lost but cannot figure out how to return.  God is like the father whose son showed absolute disrespect for him.  In effect, the selfish son considered his father dead to receive an inheritance that was not really his.  God seeks after those who have made terrible and selfish choices.  When they finally come to their senses, he rushes out to greet them and welcome them home as his children.

            Saint Paul knew that incredible mercy of God, once he came to his senses and turned away from his blasphemy and persecution and arrogance.  Because the Lord had treated him with such incredible mercy, Saint Paul courageously proclaimed that same mercy to Timothy and all who would hear him out.

            Odds are very good that each one of us at this Mass has been lost in one way or another in the course of our lives – sometimes not knowing that we were lost, sometimes not knowing what to do about it, and sometimes living the consequences of selfish and arrogant choices.  The Lord has pursued us and rejoiced when we were found – like the woman and the shepherd who called their friends together to rejoice in their good fortune, or like the father who threw a huge feast to welcome home his repentant son.

            In rejoicing over the ways in which God has found us, we cannot make the mistake of the older son, who could only conceive of his father’s love in terms of earning it.  If we are to be an evangelizing parish, we need to extend that same mercy to those who are lost.  The older son did not want to join in the feast, just as the Pharisees and scribes did not want to sit down with sinners and tax collectors.  Fortunately for us, the Lord Jesus has decided to sit down with us, who are sinners, at this Eucharistic Banquet.  He loves us with his merciful love, and wants us to extend that merciful love to others.

TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

8 SEPTEMBER 2019

          In writing to Philomen, Saint Paul gives us an insight into the dynamic of making choices to remain an intentional disciple of Jesus Christ.  Paul writes this letter from his prison cell.  Philomen’s slave, Onesimus (literally meaning “useful”), had run away from his master and has been very useful to Paul in prison, where he baptized the slave.  Now, Saint Paul sends Onesimus back to Philomen with this letter.  Paul is aware of the legal realities of his day.  This slave is Philomen’s property bearing the brand of a slave.  As an owner, Philomen can do what he wants with his possession.  Philomen can severely punish him for running away.  But Paul appeals to Philomen as a baptized disciple of Jesus Christ.  He reminds Philomen that his slave now enjoys a new relationship with Jesus Christ and with other members of Christ’s Body through Baptism.  He calls him his child.  He reminds Philomen that his slave is now his brother in Christ.

            Paul takes several risks in sending Onesimus back to his rightful owner.  In doing so, Paul is sacrificing someone useful to him in a harsh prison environment.  He takes the risk that Onesimus may use the letter as kindling to start a campfire instead of delivering it to his master.  He takes the risk that Philomen may ignore his letter and do what he wants with the slave. 

            We do not know how Philomen responded to this letter.  He could have heeded Paul’s advice and seen his slave as a new brother in the Lord and not just as his rightful possession.  Or he could have ignored Paul’s advice out of a concern to lose a useful service for his family. He may have severely punished Onesimus, to prevent the rest of the slaves from running away and getting baptized by another Apostle.

            Philomen’s dilemma gives us an insight into the challenging words of Jesus in today’s Gospel.  As he travels to Jerusalem, he has accumulated large crowds impressed with his miracles and attracted to his teachings.  He has proclaimed the Good News that following him to his death will bring a share in resurrection and new life.  Now he is very clear about the costs of following him.  True disciples must have their priorities in order.  He shocks us by telling us that we must hate those closest to us.  That word gets our attention, because we think of hate as an emotion.  He is using the word as an action – meaning to love less.  Even though relationships with parents and spouses and children are among the highest values in life, a relationship with Jesus Christ must come first.  Instead of complaining about crosses, true disciples must carry their crosses with him.  True disciples must calculate the cost of following him, much as builders must calculate the cost of building a tower or military officials calculate the cost of going into battle.  True disciples must renounce their possessions to follow him.

            Did Philomen decide to remain as an intentional disciple?  Had he calculated the cost of discipleship?  If he had, he might have regarded Onesimus as his brother and sacrificed his service to his family.  Maybe he carried the cross of losing other slaves because of his leniency to this slave.  Maybe he did sacrifice this valued possession. 

            Whatever Philomen decided to do, this letter of Saint Paul has survived for centuries as a way of challenging us.  We need to look at particular circumstances in our own lives and reflect on what it means to be an intentional disciple of Jesus Christ.  We too are walking with him to the New and Eternal Jerusalem. We too enjoy the love of family and friends.  We too have our share of carrying crosses.  We too have the benefits of many possessions.  The Lord is giving us a direct challenge today.  He wants us, his disciples, to make sure that all those relationships are rooted first in our relationship with him, so that we too may share in the rising with him that comes from our dying to ourselves.

TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

1 SEPTEMBER 2019

          The invitation which Jesus receives to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees is not a cordial one.  He has been observing the Pharisees and their focus on externals.  Inviting him to dine with them gives them an excuse to observe him.  And he does not disappoint!  This dinner is being hosted on a Sabbath, and there is a man in front of him suffering from dropsy.  Odds are good that the Pharisee has placed this man here to see what Jesus would do.  Jesus shows compassion and cures him.  In curing him, Jesus knows that the Pharisees are condemning him, because he has violated the law against working on the Sabbath.

            To their unspoken criticism, Jesus tells this parable.  In his culture, people put great importance on being honored and avoiding shame.  At a very practical level, Jesus is teaching manners to dinner guests.  If a guest chooses the place of honor at the table, that guest avoids being shamed if the host moves him or her to the lowest place when a more important person shows up.  If the guest chooses the lowest place, the host can bring honor to that person by inviting him or her to move higher.

            But Jesus is not a first century Emily Post teaching manners for table guests.  He is the Incarnate Word of God who has humbled himself, taken on human form, and is about to humble himself to the point of death.  In humbling himself, he trusts that he will be exalted through the resurrection.  As he continues to travel to Jerusalem to face the ultimate humiliation of his passion and cross, he is teaching us, his disciples, how to be humble as we walk together to the New and Eternal Jerusalem.  In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus has been the guest at many meals on his way to Jerusalem.  In our day, he has become the host, inviting us to dine with him at this Altar, where he feeds us with his Body and Blood.  In giving us these two parables, he teaches us the importance of being humble as we embrace the Strategic Five Year Plan of our parish and learn how to become evangelists in our culture.

            First, he teaches us that we do not need to feel important.  We tend to want to bring attention to ourselves, to let other people see how good we are.  As servants of the Gospel, we are not perfect.  We are sinners who know God’s mercy.  Truly humble disciples look beyond the need to be recognized and trust that we truly matter to God and to those who love us.

            Second, humble disciples live with open arms.  Once we have been fed by the Body and Blood of Christ every Sunday, we are sent to open our arms to be humble servants.  In serving the needs of others in this parish and in our local community, we become witnesses to the One who washed the feet of his disciples and suffered the humiliation of the cross.

            Finally, humble disciples reach out to others to let them know that the Lord is calling them to join us at this Altar.  We are an evangelizing parish when we continue to set aside 5% of our income to give to our sister parish of Saint Adalbert, even though we have assumed a large debt.  We set aside another 3 1/2% for those who come to us in need.  We continue to support the Saint Vincent de Paul Society with our financial gifts and gifts of food on the first Sunday of each month.  We host Father Larry and give to his parish, even though they can never repay us in gifts of treasure.  We remain humble servants when we volunteer for projects that benefit those who cannot repay us.

            Humble disciples do not deny the many gifts that God has given us.  Instead, we thank God for those gifts and put them at the service of God’s Kingdom in our midst.  In spreading the Good News of that Kingdom, we invite others to join us as we walk together to the New and Eternal Jerusalem.