THIRTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

27 OCTOBER 2019

          When Saint Paul writes to Timothy is in prison awaiting execution.  He looks back at his life and ministry and knows that he is being poured out like a libation.  As the Romans and Greeks would pour fine wine over their sacrifices, he has poured out his life in service of the Gospel.  Like a true sports fan, he uses athletic imagery.  He has competed well.  He has finished the race. He has kept the faith.

            He knows that his departure is near.  The Greek word he uses for departure has three implications.  Like a beast of burden, he has been cut loose from the plow, the work he has undertaken.  Like a rope removed from a peg, his tent being packed up for the next destination.  Like a rope being released from the dock, his ship is about to sail.  He is confident that his release from this life allows him to reach the crown of righteousness that awaits him.

            Paul is speaking directly to us old people.  He invites us to recognize the ways in which God has worked through us over the years, despite our weakness and sinfulness.  As a converted Pharisee who had encountered the Lord on the way to Damascus, Paul had come to understand that obeying the law and doing good did not save him.  He encourages us to be hopeful as we are being untethered and preparing to meet the Lord, for whose appearance we long.  He encourages us to depend not so much on what we have done or not done, but on the grace God has given us.

            Paul speaks to everyone of any age.  On this Sunday, he speaks especially to our new Catechumens and Candidates for Full Communion.  As you grow in holiness, avoid the mistake of the Pharisee in today’s Gospel parable.  Despite the conflicts between Jesus and the Pharisees, this Pharisee probably is a good and faithful Jewish religious leader.  He fasts every Monday and Thursday and gives 10% of his income away.  However, he is talking to himself and not to God.  He is patting himself on the back for his growth in holiness.  He is comparing himself to those who are not as “holy” as he is, especially the tax collector.

            The tax collector probably is a public scoundrel.  More than likely, he makes a huge profit when he collects taxes from his fellow Israelites and keeps the difference required by the hated Roman occupiers.  He is part of a corrupt institution, and he knows it.  That is why he beats his breast and addresses his prayer to God as a sinner, begging for mercy.  He goes home justified, because God has heard his humble prayer and puts him in a right relationship.  Perhaps like Matthew, another tax collector, this tax collector can proclaim the Gospel of mercy to other people and draw them closer to the God who loves them.

            As a religious leader, the Pharisee is an insider in the Temple.  He belongs there.  As a hated sinner, the tax collector does not belong there.  Because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, there are no insiders or outsiders.  We belong to Jesus Christ, who allowed the temple of his body to be destroyed on the cross and raised from the dead.  No matter where we are in our journey of faith – at the beginning, in the middle, or near the end – we can trust that the Lord will always stand by us and give us strength.  He does not strengthen us when we compare our own growth in holiness to those who do not seem to be holy.  He strengthens us when we admit our sinfulness and weakness and depend on God’s and mercy to transform us.

TWENTY-NINTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

20 OCTOBER 2019

          In a culture dominated by men, widows had absolutely no social standing, no power, and no source of income.  For that reason, the Law of Moses commanded special care and concern for widows.  The judge in today’s parable is a member of God’s Chosen People who should have been concerned about the welfare of widows.  He is also a judge – responsible for implementing the law.  He does not follow the Biblical norms for the behavior of judges.  He does not care about the plight of this poor widow.  He neither fears God nor respects any human being.

            The widow may not have any power.  But she is persistent.  In her own spunky way, she keeps pestering the judge, demanding that he render a just decision against her adversary.  He eventually delivers a just judgment, not because he cares about her plight, and not because she has made a good case, but because he is afraid that she will strike him.  Jesus has a great sense of humor, inviting us to imagine a powerful judge living in fear of a little old lady beating him up!

            The disciples must have dropped their jaws when they heard this parable.  Is Jesus comparing God to an unjust judge?  Do we have to pester God to consider giving us justice?  And the answer is “no.”  God is not like that judge.  If a corrupt judge can be worn down by persistent pleadings from a helpless widow, how much more will the God who loves us and knows what we need respond to our needs in our helplessness?  The disciples need to hear this message as Jesus speaks of his fate when they reach Jerusalem.  The early Church needed to hear this message as they face persecution and rejection in living the Gospel message.

            We also need to hear this message as we walk together in faith to the New and Eternal Jerusalem.  Yes, God loves us and knows our needs, even before we express them.  But, we need to be persistent in expressing those needs in prayer, but not to convince God to conform his will to ours.  Instead, we need to be persistent in our prayers to remain in union with God and come to know his will for us and trust that his will can ultimately bring peace and happiness.

            Trusting that God walks with us at every step can be difficult.  The Amalekites in the first reading are symbols of obstacles standing in our way as we journey to the New and Eternal Jerusalem, just as they stood in the way of the Israelites on their journey to the Promised Land.  Those obstacles are many.  We might pray for causes that are right and just.  We might pray intensely for a loved one afflicted with cancer or for healing of a relationship.  We can pray for success in our work to support our family or an end to hatred and racism and war.  Those prayers are sometimes not answered.  Not too long ago, I was getting ready to celebrate Mass at one of our nursing homes.  The volunteers from the parish brought in a relatively young man in a wheel chair and asked if he is Catholic.  He responded:  “I used to be, until this happened to me!”  He sat angrily in his chair, glaring at the rest of us, and refused to participate in any way.  At least he remained at Mass, and we prayed that this might be a first step in regaining hope.

            That is why persistence in prayer is so important.  Rooted in this central prayer of the Church – the Eucharist – persistent prayer reminds us that God is walking with us, even if we do not feel his presence.  Persistent prayer keeps us connected with the one who knows our needs and will not abandon us.  On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus is persistent in his prayer, even though he knows that his journey will end at the cross, because he trusts in the resurrection.

            At the beginning his Gospel, Luke introduces us to Anna, the old woman who has waited her entire life to see the Messiah.  If we imitate her persistent prayer, there will be faith on earth when the Son of Man comes.  We can take Paul’s advice and be persistent, whether convenient or inconvenient, convincing, reprimanding, and encouraging all to trust in God’s love.

TWENTY-EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

13 OCTOBER 2019

          Naaman was a very powerful general in the Syrian army.  As important as he may have been, he has also suffered the terrible affliction of leprosy.  In the ancient world, leprosy was incurable and highly contagious, condemning Naaman to a terrible fate.  One of his Hebrew slaves approaches him and urges him to get out of his comfort zone to contact the King of Israel, who would know someone who can heal him.  So, Naaman swallows his pride and approaches the king of an alien territory.  But the king does not want to meet an enemy general.  So, he sends him to the prophet Elisha.  Even Elisha does not meet him in person.  Instead, he sends a messenger to tell him to plunge seven times into the Jordan River.  Angered by both of these snubs, Naaman argues that the rivers in his native Syria are much better than this muddy Jordan River.  But, in his desperation, he does what he is told.  Emerging from the River Jordan, he is healed of his leprosy and “his flesh became again like the flesh of a little child.”

            Naaman is not only healed of his leprosy, but he has been healed of his arrogance.  Transformed, he humbly accepts a gift given to him by the God of Israel.  Armed with his new faith, he takes home two mule-loads of earth.  With that grounding, he can offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the God of Israel.  He is truly grateful for both undeserved gifts.

            We know nothing about the backgrounds of the ten lepers in today’s Gospel.  Like Naaman, they are afflicted with a terrible disease.  Not only do they suffer greatly.  But they are also completely isolated from the community.  Like Naaman, they are desperate and cry out for help, this time from Jesus of Nazareth.  At his command, they go to show themselves to the priests and are healed along the way.  Although all ten are healed of leprosy, only one returns to express his gratitude.  And this one, like Naaman, is not of the House of Israel.  This one is a hated Samaritan.  In thanking Jesus, he is not only healed of leprosy.  He receives the gift of salvation from the Savior of the world.

            To be honest, every one of us is afflicted with some kind of leprosy that causes pain and separation from God, or ourselves, or others.  That leprosy comes in many forms.  For some of us, it might be an addiction or a physical condition that limits our movements.  It might be an emotional affliction, like chronic depression or some kind of mental illness.  It might be a destructive habit that seems impossible to overcome or a relational difficulty with a spouse or a parent.  It might include wounds from suffering some kind of sexual or physical abuse.

            No matter how hard we try to heal whatever leprosy afflicts us, we become painfully aware that we cannot heal ourselves.  When we are desperate, we have to humble ourselves to ask for help.  That means turning to a doctor for relief from physical problems, or to a therapist for help with emotional or relational issues, or to the Sacrament of Reconciliation to break sinful habits.  The Lord can use whatever afflicts us to bring us closer to depending on him alone.

            Like Naaman, or like the Samaritan leper, we can express our profound gratitude at being healed and saved.  We express that gratitude here in participating in this Sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving.  Deeply grateful, we can be much more compassionate when confronted with the "leprosy” of others.  Reconciled with the Lord, we can reach out to those who have been separated in any way in our society.  Having known the Lord’s healing ourselves, we become instruments of the Lord’s healing for others.

TWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

6 OCTOBER 2019

          On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus has been telling his disciples that he will be betrayed, suffer terribly, be put to death on a cross, and then raised from the dead.  He has not minced words with them about the demands of being a disciple.  They have been eating with sinners, much to the chagrin of the religious leaders.  As sinners themselves, they are expected to share that same mercy with others, as the characters of his parables have been doing:  going after the lost sheep, or the lost coin, or the lost son.  They are to consider all their possessions as gifts from God and be willing to share them.  They cannot ignore Lazarus sitting at their gates.  They must be careful about causing little ones to stumble, and they must forgive without bounds.

            Realizing the difficulty of being a good disciple, the Apostles ask Jesus to increase their faith.  He tells them that their faith is sufficient, even if it is the size of a mustard seed.  Mustard seeds are very tiny and seem insignificant.  But, once those seeds are planted and nourished, they produce plants that serve our needs.  In other words, Jesus assures his Apostles that they already have faith.  Faith is a response to God’s initiative.  They have already responded to his initiative, to his calling them to follow him.  Their faith has allowed them to deepen their relationship with him, even if they do not understand everything he says.

            Even though their faith may be as small as a mustard seed, they must plant that seed of faith and become humble servants.  The twelve will eventually become the leaders of his Church established by the blood and water poured from his wounded side on the cross.  They are to take their faith and put it into action – not looking for titles and honor, but being humble servants.  They must become unprofitable servants, trusting that their work of humble service is ultimately the work of the One who called them and trusting that they may not see the immediate results.

            The words of Jesus are reminders to us, the current religious leaders of the Church.  We are not called to profit from our positions of leadership, but to continue to serve tirelessly the needs of the Church.  But his words also apply to all his baptized disciples.

            The actor Will Smith tells the story of a man who owned a bakery.  In front of the bakery was a wall 16 feet high and 30 feet long.  One day, for reasons he did not explain, he demolished it and told his 12-year old son and his brother Harry to rebuild it.  The boys were stunned.  It seemed like an impossible task.  But, every day, after school, they mixed concrete and laid brick upon brick.  After a year and a half of work, they laid the final brick and stood back to examine the new wall.  Their father told them, “Now, don’t you ever tell me that you can’t do something.” That boy was Will Smith himself, and he has never forgotten his father’s lesson.

            As we have learned from building this physical church brick by brick, we are living stones being built by the Lord into a beautiful structure, with Jesus Christ as our capstone and the Apostles as our foundation.  We have responded to the Lord’s initiative and are growing in relationship with him and with each other.  Even if our faith is as small as a mustard seed, our acts of humble service make a difference.  It might involve getting involved in one of our many ministries.  It might involve sitting with a fellow student in the lunch room who usually sits alone.  It is easy to get discouraged.  The Prophet Habakkuk voices discouragement well when he complains to God that evil people seem to prosper, while the just do not.  Just as God told him to keep faith and wait, Saint Paul tells us the same thing through his letter to Timothy.  God has not given us a spirit of cowardice, but rather of power and love and self-control.  We use those gifts to build up the Body of Christ with humble service, one brick at a time!