Sunday, August 11, 2013

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle C

LUKE 12:32-48
WHEN I WAS IN COLLEGE, I WORKED FOR THE FOREST SERVICE IN THE SUMMER. I WAS A “FIRE PREVENTION TECHNICIAN” IN GOVERNMENTESE. AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SUMMER WE ATTENDED A ONE-WEEK COURSE IN FIRE PREVENTION AND PUTTING FIRES OUT – WITHOUT WATER, WHICH WAS TRICKY. THEN WE WERE STATIONED WITH A RANGER TO ASSIST IN COVERING A CERTAIN AREA OF THE NATIONAL FOREST. I WAS INVOLVED IN BIG FIRES AND SMALL ONES, BUT THE MOST COMMON WERE LITTLE FIRES STARTED BY A BOLT OF LIGHTNING – THEY WERE OFF THE BEATEN PATH AND DEEP IN THE WOODS. WE WOULD GET AS NEAR AS WE COULD WITH THE TRUCK, THEN SHOULDER OUR BACK PACKS AND THESE THINGS THAT LOOKED LIKE A CROSS BETWEEN A HOE AND AN AX – THEY CALLED THEM “PULASKI'S” – AND USING OUR COMPASSES AND MAPS, WE WOULD TRY TO LOCATE THE FIRE. ONCE WE FOUND IT, WE WOULD WORK FRANTICALLY, DIGGING A TRENCH AROUND THE FIRE, THROWING DIRT INTO THE FLAMES, AND CUTTING DOWN BRANCHES THAT MIGHT BE A WAY FOR THE FIRE TO GET PAST OUR CONTAINMENT BARRIER. EVENTUALLY THE FIRE WOULD BE REDUCED TO SOME SMOULDERING EMBERS, AND THOSE WOULD BE COVERED BY DIRT AS WELL. AND THEN, WE WOULD DRAW STRAWS – BECAUSE ONE OF US HAD TO STAY WITH THE FIRE FOR 24 HOURS. THOSE WERE THE RULES.
BEING ALONE IN THE WOODS IS NO PICNIC, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE AN ACTIVE IMAGINATION, AND EVERY SOUND YOU HEAR COULD BE A WOLF OR A BEAR. YOU WANT TO GET CLOSER TO THE SMOULDERING ASHES BECAUSE THEY ARE WARM; BUT YOU WANT TO SIT WITH YOUR BACK TO A TREE OR SOMETHING, BECAUSE YOU ARE AFRAID. AND THE NIGHT TAKES FOREVER TO PASS. YOU DON'T DARE TRY TO FIND YOUR WAY BACK TO THE ROAD, BECAUSE YOU WOULD BECOME HORRIBLY LOST. FINALLY THE NEXT MORNING DAWNS AND RIGHT ON TIME, YOUR GANG TURNS UP TO INSPECT THE FIRE SITE ONE LAST TIME AND YOU ALL GO BACK TO CIVILIZATION.
BEING A CHRISTIAN IS A LITTLE LIKE THAT. WE FEEL PRETTY ALONE WHEN WE THINK ABOUT IT. SURE, WE GO TO CHURCH AND WE SEE OTHER PEOPLE WHO ARE “CHRISTIANS” BUT WE KNOW SOME OF THEM ARE JUST THERE FOR THE SHOW. WE SEE SOME WHO WE SUSPECT AREN'T VERY CHRISTIAN IN REAL LIFE, AND OTHERS WHO PUT US TO SHAME WITH THEIR DEVOTION. SOME OF OUR CHRISTIAN BROTHERS AND SISTERS ARE DEVOTED TO THIS OR THAT, AND MAYBE I AM NOT. SO EVEN BEING IN CHURCH IT CAN BE A LITTLE LONELY. AND EVERY DAY YOU AND I HAVE TO GET UP IN THE MORNING AND MAKE A RESOLUTION: TODAY I WILL TRY TO LIVE MY LIFE AS A CHRISTIAN. BECAUSE IT'S SO EASY TO FORGET YOUR PRAYERS OR PUT OFF CONFESSION OR VEG OUT IN FRONT OF THE TV. AND IT'S SO EASY TO FORGET TO SHOW SIGNS OF LOVE TO THOSE AROUND US.
IN TODAY'S GOSPEL JESUS IS SPEAKING TO EACH OF US, HERE AND NOW. FIRST HE TELLS US WHAT IS IN STORE FOR US – THE FATHER WILL BE PLEASED TO GIVE US HIS KINGDOM, SO LAY UP TREASURES IN HEAVEN. THE FATHER WILL WAIT ON US, HAND AND FOOT, WHEN HE RETURNS; SO DO NOT FEAR. THEN HE TELLS US NOT TO GIVE UP. HE'S GIVEN US WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW IN ORDER TO LIVE IN THIS DESERT WAITING FOR THE FATHER. HE'S TOLD US TO PERSEVERE, AND NOT BE DISTRACTED; BECAUSE THE FATHER WILL COME FOR US, THAT IS CERTAIN; AND WE DON'T KNOW WHEN, THAT IS CERTAIN AS WELL.
SAINT FRANCIS WAS ONCE OUT WORKING IN THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. ONE OF HIS BROTHER FRIARS ASKED HIM, “WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU LEARNED THAT THE WORLD WAS GOING TO END IN FIFTEEN MINUTES?” FRANCIS CONTINUED TO HOE THE GARDEN, AND REPLIED, “I WOULD FINISH WHAT I AM DOING.” THE IDEA IS NOT TO WORRY ABOUT BEING PREPARED FOR THE COMING OF OUR MASTER. THE IDEA IS TO LIVE IN A WAY THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT IT.
HOW DO WE BUILD UP TREASURE IN HEAVEN? WE MIGHT LOOK AT THE BLESSED MOTHER. WE DON'T REALLY KNOW A THING ABOUT HER, EXCEPT THAT SHE CONSENTED TO BE THE MOTHER OF THE MESSIAH; SHE WAS THE WIFE OF A SKILLED CRAFTSMAN – A CARPENTER; AND SHE PREVAILED UPON HER SON TO HELP OUT AT A WEDDING PARTY. THERE ARE OTHER SCENES – SHE LOOKED FOR HIM WHEN HE WAS LOST; AND SHE AND HIS OTHER RELATIVES WORRIED ABOUT HIM BECAUSE HE HAD STEPPED OUT OF HIS QUIET LIFE IN NAZARETH AT THE AGE OF 30 AND WAS WANDERING UP AND DOWN PALESTINE PREACHING AND WORKING MIRACLES. MARY WAS PRETTY ORDINARY. SHE MADE CLOTHING, SHE PROBABLY WOVE CLOTH; SHE PREPARED FOOD, SHE SWEPT THE FLOORS. SHE DID WHATEVER SHE COULD TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE FAMILY INCOME; SHE PROBABLY TOOK CARE OF HER AGING MOTHER AND FATHER, AND JOSEPH, TOO, WHEN HE BECAME ILL AND FINALLY DIED. HER LIFE DIDN'T CHANGE MUCH AFTER THAT – YOU CAN BET THAT WHEN JOHN TOOK HER INTO HIS HOME, SHE DID NOT SIT IDLE, BUT CONTINUED TO DO WHAT SHE ALWAYS DID. SHE DID EVERYTHING WELL; SHE TURNED HER FULL ATTENTION TO THE TASK AT HAND; SHE PRAYED, SHE WORKED, SHE HELPED OTHERS, SHE LAUGHED AND CRIED, SLEPT AND WOKE UP. AT THE END OF THE DAY SHE DID NOT THINK ABOUT WHAT GREAT THINGS SHE MIGHT HAVE DONE. SHE DID NOT, AS FAR AS WE CAN TELL, PARTICIPATE IN SPREADING THE GOSPEL, AS DID THE APOSTLES AND SOME OF THE OTHER COMPANIONS OF JESUS, LIKE MARY MAGDALENE.
AND THAT, PERHAPS IS THE BEDROCK OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE – TO BE ABLE TO SAY AT ANY TIME, IF THE WORLD COMES TO AN END IN THE NEXT FIFTEEN MINUTES, I'M RIGHT WHERE I SHOULD BE, DOING WHAT I SHOULD BE DOING.
BUILDING UP TREASURE IN HEAVEN CONSISTS OF ALL THOSE ORDINARY THINGS MOST OF US DO MOST OF THE TIME – CONSCIOUS, OF COURSE, OF THE FACT THAT AS CHRISTIANS, JESUS IS WORKING IN US, AND TRANSFORMING THESE HUMBLE ACTS INTO THINGS OF INFINITE CONSEQUENCE.
THE HOLY EUCHARIST REMINDS US OF THIS EVERY SUNDAY. WE OFFER BREAD AND WINE, COMMON, ORDINARY THINGS THAT BY THEMSELVES DON'T AMOUNT TO MUCH AT ALL. BUT THROUGH OUR PRIEST GOD TAKES THESE GIFTS AND TRANSFORMS THEM INTO HIS ONLY SON, JESUS, WHO IS GOD AND MAN, AND FEEDS US WITH HIS BODY AND BLOOD. CHRISTIANS BY VIRTUE OF BEING CHRISTIANS, CAN TRANSFORM ANYTHING HUMAN BEINGS CAN DO INTO TREASURE IN HEAVEN – IT REQUIRES ONLY THAT WE ARE WHERE WE ARE, DOING WHAT WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING, EACH MOMENT OF OUR LIVES. AND THEN WE HAVE NO REASON TO FEAR, AND EVERY EXPECTATION OF RECEIVING THE KINGDOM THAT OUR FATHER IS PLEASED TO GIVE US.