Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle C

LUKE 12:13-21

WE JUST HAD A VISIT FROM SOME OF OUR GRANDCHILDREN. MY GRANDAUGHTER ANNA REALLY LIKES GRAPES SO WHEN MY WIFE PUT OUT A BOWL OF THEM, SHE QUICKLY LOADED UP BOTH FISTS WITH AS MANY AS SHE COULD HOLD. SHE SOON DISCOVERED THAT THIS MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO EAT ANYTHING ELSE, AND BECAUSE BOTH HANDS WERE OCCUPIED WITH HOLDING GRAPES, SHE COULDN'T EVEN EAT THEM. SHE BECAME VERY FRUSTRATED. THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE GRAPES OF WRATH, I SUPPOSE.

THERE ARE MANY STORIES ABOUT GREEDY PEOPLE WHO EVENTUALLY GET IN TROUBLE FOR THEIR GREED. WHEN WE HEAR SUCH STORIES, WE LAUGH, OR WE FEEL A SENSE OF RELIEF BECAUSE THAT PERSON IS NOT US; BUT WE ALMOST NEVER FEEL SORRY FOR THE GREEDY PERSON. IN TODAY'S GOSPEL, JESUS TELLS THE STORY OF THE RICH FOOL, AND I'M PRETTY SURE EVERYONE SNICKERED A LITTLE BIT WHEN THEY HEARD IT. HE GOT WHAT HE DESERVED! HE BROUGHT IT ON HIMSELF! AND SURELY NO ONE MISSED THE POINT THAT THIS MAN WASN'T VERY BRIGHT, ALTHOUGH HOW HE GOT RICH WHILE BEING STUPID ESCAPES ME. AND ON SECOND THOUGHT, WHAT'S SO WRONG ABOUT PROVIDING FOR YOUR FUTURE? CAN WE FAULT THE PEOPLE IN THIS VERY CHURCH WHO SAVED UP FOR THEIR OLD AGE AND NOW ARE ENJOYING A COMFORTABLE RETIREMENT BECAUSE OF THEIR PRUDENCE? HOW ARE THEY DIFFERENT FROM THE RICH FOOL? AND WHAT ABOUT SOMEONE WHO SAVES MONEY FOR THEIR CHILDREN'S EDUCATION? OR FOR A NEW HOME, OR A CAR, OR A VACATION? SHOULD WE CONDEMN THEM FOR THESE THINGS? OUR CHURCH WOULD BE IN A LOT OF TROUBLE IF EVERYONE ONLY EARNED ENOUGH TO LIVE ON AND NEVER HAD AN EXTRA BUCK TO DROP IN THE COLLECTION BASKET.

AND THE MAN WHO STARTED IT ALL – TEACHER, TELL MY BROTHER TO GIVE ME MY SHARE OF THE INHERITANCE! – THAT WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN AN UNUSUAL REQUEST IN THOSE DAYS. IF YOU HAD A PROBLEM AND YOU WERE A GOOD JEW, THE FIRST PLACE YOU WOULD GO WOULD BE TO A WISE TEACHER. IN THOSE DAYS THE OLDEST SON WAS IN CHARGE OF DIVIDING UP THE INHERITANCE AFTER THE FATHER DIED. OBVIOUSLY THINGS WEREN'T MOVING FAST ENOUGH IN THIS CASE. I WONDER IF JESUS GOT THE IDEA FOR THE STORY OF THE PRODIGAL SON FROM THIS LITTLE EVENT?

JESUS DOES NOT CONDEMN THE RICH FOOL FOR STORING UP HIS SURPLUS CROPS FOR THE FUTURE. HE CONDEMNS HIM FOR HIS GREED. AND WHAT IS GREED ALL ABOUT ANYWAY? I THINK THE GENIUS OF THIS STORY IS THE PICTURE JESUS PAINTS OF THE RICH FOOL. NOTICE, WHEN HE THINKS ABOUT HIS GOOD FORTUNE, HE SPEAKS TO HIMSELF – NOT GOD, NOT HIS WIFE OR HIS FRIENDS OR HIS CHILDREN, BUT TO HIMSELF.

GREED IS NOT THE SAME THING AS DESIRING GOODS, OR EVEN DESIRING MORE THAN YOU CAN USE RIGHT NOW. GREED IS THE SIN IN WHICH MATERIAL POSSESSIONS DRIVE A WEDGE BETWEEN YOU AND GOD,YOU AND YOUR NEIGHBOR. THE RICH FOOL IS THINKING ABOUT HIS PROBLEM – WHAT SHALL I DO? I HAVE SO MUCH THAT I HAVE NO ROOM TO PUT IT ALL AWAY. I KNOW, I WILL BUILD BIGGER STORAGE SHEDS. THERE IS THE WEDGE BETWEEN HIM AND HIS NEIGHBOR. FOR IF WE HAVE SURPLUS AND OUR NEIGHBOR HAS WANTS, OUR FIRST RESPONSE IS THAT WE SHOULD AT LEAST LOOK TO WHETHER OUR NEIGHBOR HAS ENOUGH TO EAT AND DRINK. IT'S OK TO HAVE SURPLUS. IT'S NOT OK WHEN WE COULD HELP AND WE DON'T.

THE RICH FOOL GOES ON TO TELL HIMSELF THAT HE CAN NOW EAT, DRINK, AND BE MERRY, BECAUSE HE HAS ENOUGH PUT AWAY FOR YEARS TO COME. HE DRIVES A WEDGE BETWEEN HIMSELF AND GOD. EVERY DAY WE PRAY, “GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD” BECAUSE AT LEAST IN THAT PRAYER WE RECOGNIZE THAT GOD IS THE ULTIMATE SOURCE OF EVERYTHING WE NEED, AND WE ARE TOTALLY DEPENDENT ON HIM. THE RICH FOOL FORGETS THAT, AND TAKES THE PLACE OF GOD – DEPENDING ONLY ON HIMSELF. AND OF COURSE THAT'S WHY HE'S A FOOL.

I SUSPECT THAT MOST OF THE PEOPLE WHO HEARD THE STORY IN JESUS' TIME, AND IN FACT MOST OF US, PROBABLY GET JESUS' POINT AND EITHER WE FEEL A LITTLE GUILTY, BUT NOT ENOUGH TO CHANGE; OR WE TELL OURSELVES THAT THIS DOESN'T APPLY TO US, BECAUSE WE AREN'T GREEDY. WE HAVE GOOD REASONS FOR OUR SURPLUS, OUR SAVINGS, OUR SECURITY. AND WE PROBABLY DO. BUT AGAIN, IT'S NOT THAT THAT CHARACTERIZES GREED. ITS WHETHER MATERIAL THINGS ARE SEPARATING US FROM GOD AND OUR NEIGHBOR. AND THAT'S WHERE I THINK WE, WHO HAVE A LOT MORE THAN MOST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD, EVEN MOST PEOPLE IN THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS, NEED TO ASK OURSELVES WHETHER WE ARE INDEED GREEDY. WE THINK OF GREED AS SOMEONE DESIRING SOMETHING TO THE EXTENT THAT THEY FORGET WHAT'S IMPORTANT. BUT GREED CAN ALSO BE WHERE I WANT SOMETHING, AND HAVING THE MEANS TO GET IT, I GO OUT AND BUY IT, MAYBE WITH VERY LITTLE THOUGHT. BECAUSE I AM RICH I CAN HAVE PRETTY MUCH WHATEVER I WANT WHEN I WANT IT. AND IT'S EASY TO FORGET THAT I AM DEPENDENT ON GOD FOR EVERYTHING, EVEN MY EXISTENCE. AND IT'S EASY TO FORGET THAT I AM SUPPOSED TO BE THE STEWARD OF WHAT GOD HAS GIVEN ME, NOT THE OWNER,

I READ RECENTLY THAT THERE IS A NEW CUSTOM THAT HAPPENS AT SOME WEDDINGS. AT THE END OF THE RECEPTION, THE BRIDAL GOWN IS TAKEN OUT AND TRASHED – TORN UP, SPILLED ON, WALKED ON, MAYBE EVEN BURNED A LITTLE – AS A SIGN THAT THIS WEDDING IS PERMANENT AND THE GOWN WILL NEVER BE WORN AGAIN. IT'S A NICE SENTIMENT, BUT IT IS A MANIFESTATION OF GREED TO DESTROY SOMETHING THAT COST THAT MUCH. IT'S KIND OF LIKE THE HEAVY METAL BANDS WHO SMASH THEIR GUITARS AT THE END OF THEIR CONCERTS. GREED IS WHEN YOU FEEL YOU OWN SOMETHING AND CAN DISPOSE OF IT ANY WAY YOU WISH, EVEN IF IT'S A TOTAL WASTE.

A LITTLE GIRL ASKED HER FATHER WHY THEY DIDN'T HAVE A SWIMMING POOL. “WELL,” HE REPLIED, “WE'RE NOT RICH.”. SHE ASKED, “HOW DO YOU GET RICH?” HIS FIRST ANSWER WAS THAT IF HE KNEW, HE'D BE RICH. BUT SHE KEPT ASKING, AND FINALLY HE REPLIED, “YOU HAVE TO LOVE MONEY MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE IN THE WORLD.” THE LITTLE GIRL THOUGHT ABOUT THAT AND DECIDED SHE WOULD NEVER BE RICH, BECAUSE THERE WERE A LOT OF THINGS AND A LOT OF PEOPLE SHE LOVED MORE THAN MONEY.

THIS GOSPEL, AS WELL AS THE FIRST READING, REMINDS US TO EXAMINE OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR THINGS, WITH OUR MONEY, WITH OUR POSSESSIONS. WHETHER WE HAVE A LOT OR A LITTLE, WHETHER WE ARE RICH OR POOR, THE THINGS WE HAVE CAN INTERFERE WITH OUR MOST IMPORTANT RELATIONSHIPS – WITH GOD AND WITH OUR NEIGHBOR. AND WE ARE CALLED TO CORRECT THAT, TO PUT THINGS BACK IN THEIR PROPER PRIORITY. BECAUSE IF WE DON'T, THEN WE ARE WHAT WE LAUGH AT IN JESUS' STORY – RICH FOOLS.

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle C

LUKE 11:1-13

ARE YOUR PRAYERS ANSWERED? MINE DON'T SEEM TO BE, AT LEAST NOT THE WAY I'D LIKE THEM TO BE.

WE JUST HEARD LUKE'S VERSION OF THE LORD'S PRAYER. THE ONE WE ARE USED TO IS FROM MATTHEW; IT IS LONGER AND A BIT MORE COMPLEX. I IMAGINE THAT IN THE EARLIEST DAYS OF THE CHURCH, THERE WERE MANY VARIATIONS OF THE LORD'S PRAYER; AFTER ALL, WHAT HE HAD TAUGHT HIS DISCIPLES WAS A WAY OF PRAYING, NOT A PRAYER; AND HE HAD TAUGHT THEM IN ARAMAIC, A VERY DIFFERENT LANGUAGE THAN GREEK AND LATIN, AND CERTAINLY ENGLISH. AND IN THE GOSPEL PASSAGE WE JUST HEARD, JESUS TALKS ABOUT TWO OTHER THINGS, PERSISTENCE IN PRAYER, AND THE CERTAINTY THAT GOD WILL GIVE HIS SPIRIT TO THOSE WHO ASK FOR IT.

MOST OF THE TIME WHEN WE PRAY, WE PRAY FOR THINGS. WE HAD A SESSION IN THIS CHURCH TWO WEEKS AGO WHEN WE ALL PRAYED FOR FATHER GORNY. IT IS STARTING TO LOOK LIKE OUR PRAYERS WERE ANSWERED; EARLY ON HE WASN'T EXPECTED TO MAKE IT, AND NOW HE'S MAKING PROGRESS. AND WE PRAY FOR OTHER THINGS, WE PRAY FOR HEALING, WE PRAY FOR OUR COUNTRY – SOMETIMES WE EVEN PRAY THAT OUR GOLF GAME WILL BE IMPROVED OR THAT WE'LL FIND A SPECIAL DEAL ON A CAR WE'D LIKE TO BUY. AND THE APOSTLES KNEW HOW TO PRAY THOSE PRAYERS. WHEN THEY ASKED JESUS TO TEACH THEM TO PRAY, I'M SURE THEY HAD PLENTY OF EXPERIENCE WITH PRAYER; AFTER ALL THEY'D PRAYED IN SYNAGOGUE; AND THEY'D PROBABLY PRAYED FOR THINGS LIKE WE DO – A GOOD CATCH WHILE OUT FISHING; THAT THE TAX COLLECTOR WOULDN'T BE TOO HARD ON THEM; THAT ISRAEL WOULD ONE DAY BE FREE OF ROMAN OPPRESSION. BUT THEY KNEW AS WE KNOW, THAT ASKING GOD FOR THINGS DOESN'T SEEM TO WORK VERY WELL. SURE, WE CAN POINT TO TIMES WHEN IT SEEMED AS THOUGH GOD ANSWERED OUR PRAYERS, BUT WE CAN POINT TO A LOT MORE TIMES WHEN THE ANSWER WAS, “SORRY, NO.”

SO I CAN SEE WHY THE APOSTLES WANTED JESUS TO TEACH THEM HOW TO PRAY. THEY MIGHT HAVE NOTICED THAT WHEN JESUS PRAYED FOR SOMETHING, IT HAPPENED; WHEN HE PUT HIS HANDS ON A SICK PERSON, THEY GOT BETTER; WHEN HE TOLD THE WIND AND THE WAVES TO QUIET DOWN, THEY DID. WHAT WAS HIS SECRET?

AND THE PRAYER JESUS GAVE THEM CONTAINED PETITIONS, YES, BUT NONE THAT COULD ACTUALLY BE MEASURED. IF WE PRAY THAT GOD'S NAME BE HALLOWED, HOW CAN WE TELL? IF WE PRAY THAT HIS KINGDOM COME, WELL, WHEN? IF WE PRAY THAT HE FORGIVE OUR TRESPASSES AS WE FORGIVE OTHERS, IF WE PRAY THAT HE NOT LEAD US INTO TEMPTATION, IF WE PRAY THAT HE DELIVER US FROM EVIL, WE CAN'T TELL IF OUR PRAYERS ARE ANSWERED OR NOT. IF EVIL HAPPENS, WELL, IT COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE.

BUT DO YOU NOTICE THAT ALL THESE PETITIONS ARE NOT SO MUCH REQUESTS OF GOD, BUT US TRYING TO TUNE OURSELVES TO GOD'S WAVE LENGTH. THESE ARE PRAYERS THAT WILL BE ANSWERED – BECAUSE GOD IS GOOD, BECAUSE GOD IS ALL POWERFUL, BECAUSE GOD'S PLAN FOR THE UNIVERSE WILL TAKE PLACE. THE LORD'S PRAYER IS OUR ATTEMPT TO PUT ON THE MIND OF GOD.

AND YOU NOTICE I LEFT OUT A PETITION – GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD. THE WORD WE TRANSLATE AS “BREAD” IS “HOCHMA” WHICH MEANS MORE THAN FOOD; IT MEANS WHAT WE NEED TO LIVE. GIVE US TODAY WHAT WE NEED TODAY TO LIVE, TO BECOME COMPLETE, TO BE WHAT YOU WANT US TO BE. AND MAYBE THAT'S NOT BREAD, MAYBE THAT'S SOMETHING ELSE. BUT GOD WILL GIVE IT TO US, AND OUR PRAYER IS THAT WE WILL ACCEPT WHAT GOD GIVES US, BECAUSE WE TRUST HIM. AND THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE ABOUT THIS PETITION. WE ASK EACH DAY FOR WHAT WE NEED THAT DAY; WE DON'T THINK ABOUT THE FUTURE OR THE PAST; AND IN ASKING AND BEING ASSURED THAT WE WILL RECEIVE WHAT WE NEED TODAY, WE ENJOY THE GIFT OF TODAY, WHATEVER IT BRINGS.

THE LORD'S PRAYER IS NOT A LIST OF REQUESTS; IT IS AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT THAT GOD'S WILL, HIS PURPOSE, HIS PLAN, WILL TAKE PLACE. NO WAY AROUND IT. AND WHEN I PRAY THE LORD'S PRAYER, I AM REALLY ASKING, MAKE ME WANT WHAT YOU WANT. WHEN I PRAY THIS PRAYER, I AM GUARANTEED WHAT I PRAY FOR.

JESUS TELLS US THE STORY OF A MAN WHO BANGS ON THE DOOR OF HIS FRIEND ASKING FOR BREAD. EVENTUALLY THE FRIEND OPENS THE DOOR, IF NOT BECAUSE OF THE FRIENDSHIP, BECAUSE OF THE PERSISTENCE. WHAT IF THE MAN BANGING ON THE DOOR IS GOD, AND WE ARE THE PERSON IN THE HOUSE, THE DOOR LOCKED, OUR LITTLE WORLD ALL SECURE? AND GOD WILL NOT BE DENIED, GOD WILL BANG AWAY, BECAUSE HE WANTS TO ENTER IN AND TAKE WHAT WE HAVE AND CHANGE US AND SHARE HIS LIFE WITH US. AND THAT IS SCARY TO US, BECAUSE IT MEANS THAT OUR WHOLE LIVES WILL BE TURNED UPSIDE DOWN. WE DON'T MIND BEING FRIENDS WITH GOD, WE DON'T MIND MEETING HIM ON THE STREET AND SAYING HELLO. BUT TO INVITE HIM INTO OUR HOMES, INTO OUR HEARTS, TO TURN OUR LIVES OVER TO HIM, THAT WE PROBABLY DO MIND. WE WANT OUR GOD IN SMALL DOSES, NOT IN A GREAT BIG EXPLOSION.

JESUS ENDS THE GOSPEL BY SAYING SOMETHING VERY PROFOUND; IF YOU, BEING EVIL, KNOW HOW TO GIVE YOUR CHILDREN GOOD THINGS, DOESN'T THE ALL GOOD GOD GIVE THE SPIRIT TO THOSE WHO ASK FOR IT?

THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF PRAYER IS TO ALIGN OURSELVES WITH GOD. THE CONSEQUENCES OF ALIGNING OURSELVES WITH GOD IS TO OPEN OURSELVES UP TO MYSTERY, TO UNCERTAINTY, TO BEING LED BY HIM RATHER THAN RUNNING OUR OWN LIVES – AND THAT IS TRULY FRIGHTENING. BUT IN THE END, WE HAVE THE ASSURANCE OF JESUS HIMSELF THAT GOD WANTS THE BEST FOR US, THAT IF WE ASK, HE WILL GIVE US HIS SPIRIT – AND HIS SPIRIT IS HIS VERY LIFE, THE SAME SPIRIT THAT OVERSHADOWED THE BLESSED MOTHER AND BROUGHT JESUS INTO THE WORLD.

SO ARE OUR PRAYERS ANSWERED? IF WE PRAY AS JESUS TAUGHT US, YES. BECAUSE IF WE PRAY WITH THE PURPOSE OF SEEKING TO LIVE IN HIS WILL, IF WE PRAY WITH A SENSE OF GRATITUDE FOR WHATEVER WE ARE GIVEN TODAY, IF WE PRAY WITH CONFIDENCE THAT WE WILL BE GIVEN THE SPIRIT BY OUR LOVING FATHER, OUR PRAYERS WILL BE ANSWERED – BECAUSE THE PRAYER OF THE CHRISTIAN, THE PRAYER THAT LIES BENEATH ALL THE OTHER PRAYERS, IS THAT WE BE TRANSFORMED INTO OTHER CHRISTS, THAT WE BE GIVEN A SHARE IN THE LIFE OF CHRIST, LIFE ETERNAL.

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle C

LUKE 10:38 - 42

SEVERAL YEARS AGO MY UNCLE PAUL CAME TO VISIT. HE TRAVELED ALL THE WAY FROM MONTANA BY TRAIN AND BUS. HE WAS ABOUT 75 WHEN THIS TOOK PLACE. AMONG A FAMILY WITH TEN CHILDREN, HE AND MY MOTHER WERE VERY CLOSE, BEING THE FIFTH AND SIXTH CHILDREN IN THE FAMILY, ABOUT A YEAR AND HALF APART. WHEN I WAS GROWING UP, I SAW A LOT OF HIM, AND HE WAS THERE AT ALL THE BIG MILESTONES IN MY GROWING UP. WHEN HE CAME TO VISIT, JOAN AND I WERE VERY EXCITED, AND WE MADE PLANS TO SHOW HIM ALL THE SIGHTS AROUND HERE – STURBRIDGE, STOCKBRIDGE, MAYBE EVEN BOSTON. AFTER ALL, THIS WAS SORT OF A ONCE IN A LIFETIME EVENT, AND WE WANTED HIM TO REMEMBER IT.

WHEN I WAS GROWING UP, I CAN REMEMBER VISITING MY UNCLES AND AUNTS. MOST OF THE TIME WE WOULD BE GREETED PLEASANTLY, AND THEN AFTER WE WERE COMFORTABLE, THE UNCLE OR AUNT WOULD GO BACK TO WHATEVER THEY WERE DOING. MY MOTHER CAME FROM A FAMILY WHO ALWAYS HAD TO BE DOING THINGS. BUT MY UNCLE PAUL WAS DIFFERENT. HE WAS A FARMER, AND OF COURSE ALWAYS HAD SOMETHING TO DO. BUT WHEN WE SHOWED UP, HE USUALLY WOULD DROP EVERYTHING AND GIVE US HIS FULL ATTENTION.

WHEN HE CAME TO VISIT, IT WAS NO DIFFERENT. HE MADE IT CLEAR THAT HE DIDN'T REALLY WANT TO RUN AROUND AND SEE THE SIGHTS. HE WANTED TO SIT AND TALK WITH US, JUST SPEND SOME TIME LEARNING ABOUT OUR LIVES AND FILLING US IN ON WHAT HAD GONE ON BACK HOME SINCE WE WERE LAST THERE. WE RELAXED AND HAD A PLEASANT TIME, BEFORE HE BOARDED A BUS AND WENT ON TO VISIT A NIECE UP IN ELSWORTH, MAINE.

WHEN JOAN AND I WERE A LOT YOUNGER, WE WOULD OFTEN HAVE PEOPLE VISIT, AND WE ALWAYS TRIED TO BE GOOD HOSTS, AND MAKE SURE THAT THEIR VISIT WAS MEMORABLE. WHEN WE LIVED IN CALIFORNIA WE ALWAYS TOOK THEM TO WINERIES AND TRIED TO SHOW THEM SAN FRANCISCO. IN SAINT LOUIS A TOUR OF THE GATEWAY ARCH AND THE BUDWEISER BREWERY WERE IN ORDER. IN BUFFALO WE VISITED NIAGARA FALLS MORE TIMES THAN I CARE TO REMEMBER. BUT OF ALL THOSE VISITS FROM FRIENDS AND RELATIVES FROM THE PAST, I DON'T REALLY REMEMBER MUCH ABOUT THE FOOD WE ATE OR THE SIGHTS WE SAW. WHAT I DO REMEMBER ARE THOSE TIMES AT THE END OF THE DAY WHEN WE SAT IN OUR LIVING ROOM AND TALKED – REMINISCING OVER OLD TIMES, REMEMBERING MUTUAL FRIENDS, OR SOLVING THE PROBLEMS OF THE WORLD.

THE STORY OF MARTHA AND MARY – IT'S SO FAMILIAR IT'S ALMOST A CLICHÉ. IN FACT WE ALL KNOW WHAT WE MEAN WHEN SOMEONE IS DESCRIBED AS A MARTHA. MY MOTHER REALLY DIDN'T LIKE THIS GOSPEL. SHE COULD NEVER SIT STILL, AND ALWAYS HAD TO BE DOING SOMETHING. SHE TOOK JESUS' REBUKE OF MARTHA PERSONALLY. SHE WOULD MUTTER – IF IT WEREN'T FOR THE MARTHA'S, NOTHING WOULD EVER GET DONE. I THINK ALL OF US PROBABLY HAVE A LITTLE OF THAT REACTION. IF MARTHA HAD BEEN SITTING THERE LISTENING TO JESUS, NO ONE WOULD EVER GET ANY SUPPER.

THE OTHER THING ABOUT THIS GOSPEL IS THAT IT SEEMS TO IMPLY THAT THOSE WHO SIT AND CONTEMPLATE ARE SOMEHOW BETTER THAN THOSE WHO ARE ACTIVE. I KNOW WHEN I WAS GROWING UP AND THERE WERE ALL KINDS OF NUNS IN THE WORLD, WE ALL BELIEVED THAT THE ONES WHO LIVED IN CLOISTERS AND PRAYED ALL THE TIME WERE DEFINITELY A CUT ABOVE THE ONES WHO TAUGHT US IN SCHOOL, OR THE ONES WHO WORKED IN THE HOSPITAL AS NURSES.

SO IS JESUS BEING UNFAIR? OR DO WE JUST HAVE TO SAY, “LORD, I DON'T UNDERSTAND, AS USUAL,” AND GO ON DOING THE BEST WE CAN, TRYING TO SQUEEZE A MOMENT HERE AND THERE TO SIT AT HIS FEET AND JUST LISTEN?

MAYBE JESUS MEANS SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT.

MAYBE THAT'S WHAT JESUS IS TALKING ABOUT. HE CAME TO VISIT; THAT PROBABLY DIDN'T HAPPEN THAT OFTEN. MARTHA WANTED TO MAKE SURE HE HAD A GOOD TIME; EVERYTHING HAD TO BE JUST SO. MARY WANTED TO JUST ENJOY HIS PRESENCE AND BE PRESENT TO HIM AS WELL.

MANY OF THE GREAT SAINTS SEEMED TO HAVE THE GIFT OF PRESENCE. THAT'S WHY THEY ATTRACTED FOLLOWERS, THAT'S WHY THEY FOUNDED RELIGIOUS ORDERS. WHEN THEY MET PEOPLE, THEY GAVE THEM THEIR FULL ATTENTION, AND VERY OFTEN, THAT PERSON BECAME A SUPPORTER, OR EVEN A FOLLOWER AS A RESULT. JESUS HIMSELF SEEMED TO HAVE THIS. I LOVE THE STORY OF WHEN HE WAS RUSHING ALONG TO SAVE THE LITTLE DAUGHTER OF THE TEMPLE OFFICIAL; A WOMAN CLUTCHED AT HIS GARMENT, HOPING TO BE HEALED. HE STOPPED IN HIS TRACKS AND SPOKE TO HER, EXCHANGED A FEW WORDS, TOLD HER THAT HER FAITH HAD HEALED HER, AND THEN WENT ON. OR HOW A BOUT THE TIME THE BLIND MAN CALLED OUT TO HIM AND THE APOSTLES TOLD THE MAN TO BE QUIET. BUT JESUS STOPPED WHAT HE WAS DOING, TALKED TO THE MAN, AND HEALED HIS BLINDNESS. BEING PRESENT TO SOMEONE, FULLY PRESENT, NOT DISTRACTED OR IN A RUSH, IS A GREAT GIFT – NOT ONLY TO THE PERSON, BUT TO THE ONE WHO IS BEING PRESENT. I THINK MY UNCLE PAUL LEARNED THAT EARLY IN LIFE, AND I HOPE I AM LEARNING IT AS WELL.

WHEN JESUS TELLS MARTHA THAT MARY HAS CHOSEN THE BETTER PART AND IT WON'T BE TAKEN FROM HER, MAYBE THAT'S WHAT HE IS TALKING ABOUT. IN MOST SITUATIONS WHEN WE ENCOUNTER OTHER PEOPLE, WE CAN CHOOSE TO BE MARTHAS OR MARYS; WE ALWAYS HAVE THE OPTION OF CHOOSING THE BETTER PART, BEING PRESENT TO THE OTHER PERSON, WHO, AFTER ALL, IS MADE IN THE IMAGE AND LIKENESS OF GOD, AND WHO IS A BROTHER OR SISTER TO US. WHEN WE GIVE THAT PERSON OUR FULL ATTENTION, WE ARE HONORING HIS OR HER GREAT DIGNITY.

BUT SOMETHING ELSE TO REMEMBER IS THAT JESUS MAKES HIMSELF AVAILABLE TO US IN THE EUCHARIST. THIS CHURCH, LIKE MOST OF THEM, STANDS EMPTY MOST OF THE TIME. A FEW RARE INDIVIDUALS COME IN TO THE QUIET AND PUT THEMSELVES IN THE PRESENCE OF CHRIST, FOR A FEW MINUTES OR MAYBE LONGER. WE HAVE THE EXAMPLE OF JOHN PAUL II, WHO DESPITE RUNNING THE CHURCH, WRITING ENCYCLICALS, AND TRAVELING ALL OVER THE WORLD, WOULD SPEND TWO HOURS A DAY IN THE PRESENCE OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT. WE KNOW MOTHER THERESA MADE IT A RULE FOR HER ORDER TO SPEND AN HOUR IN SILENT PRAYER BEFORE THE TABERNACLE EVERY DAY, IN ADDITION TO EVERYTHING ELSE. WE CATHOLICS ARE SUPPOSED TO BELIEVE IN THE REAL PRESENCE – THAT WHAT LOOKS LIKE BREAD IS REALLY THE LIVING LORD, THE SAME ONE WHO WALKED THE ROADS OF PALESTINE AND DIED ON THE CROSS FOR US. IF WE BELIEVE, WE NEED TO ACT, AND HONOR HIS PRESENCE IN THE SAME WAY WE WOULD HONOR SOMEONE WE DEEPLY LOVE WHO COMES TO VISIT.

MARY CHOSE THE BETTER PART; SHE KNEW WHERE SHE COULD BENEFIT THE MOST WITH HER TIME. YOU AND I CAN DO THIS AS WELL, WHETHER IT IS THE WAY WE DEAL WITH EACH OTHER, OR THE WAY WE TREAT OUR LORD WHO CHOOSES TO LIVE AMONG US IN THE BLESSED SACRAMENT.

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle C

LUKE 10:25-37

AN OLD FAMILIAR STORY. IT'S EVEN GIVEN OUR LANGUAGE A PHRASE, “GOOD SAMARITAN” TO DESCRIBE ANYONE WHO GOES OUT OF HIS WAY TO HELP SOMEONE IN NEED. WHEN I LOOK OVER SERMONS WHICH HAVE BEEN WRITTEN ABOUT THIS GOSPEL, MANY OF THEM TRY TO IMAGINE THE STORY IN MODERN TERMS – A HOMELESS PERSON HELPING OUT SOMEONE WHO WAS MUGGED; A PALESTINIAN MUSLIM COMING TO THE AID OF AN ISRAELI SOLDIER WHO WAS WOUNDED. IT SEEMS AS THOUGH WHEN WE TRY TO RE-IMAGINE THIS STORY, WE CONCENTRATE ON THE FACT THAT THE SAMARITAN WAS FROM A MINORITY WHICH WAS LOOKED DOWN UPON. BUT WHAT DOES THAT TELL US? THAT WE SHOULD LOOK TO HOMELESS PEOPLE OR PEOPLE FROM OPPRESSED MINORITY GROUPS TO BE THERE FOR US WHEN WE ARE IN TROUBLE? NOT LIKELY. OR DOES IT MEAN THAT BECAUSE THE SAMARITAN IN THE STORY HELPED OUT THE TRAVELER, WE SHOULD RECIPROCATE BY HELPING OUT PEOPLE WHO ARE AT THE EDGE OF OUR SOCIETY, THE POOR, THE HOMELESS, THE ADDICTED, THE FOREIGNER IN OUR MIDST? THAT DOESN'T SEEM TO BE THE POINT OF THE STORY EITHER.

I THINK IT'S INTERESTING THAT WHENEVER WE USE THE TERM “GOOD SAMARITAN” WE THROW IN A WORD THAT JESUS NEVER USED WHEN HE TOLD THE STORY. WHEN WE THROW IN THE WORD “GOOD” WE CHANGE OUR PERCEPTION AS WELL; WE SEE THE SAMARITAN IN CONTRAST TO THE PRIEST AND LEVITE, NOT JUST BECAUSE HE STOPPED TO HELP, BUT BECAUSE WE INTERPRET WHAT HE DID AS GOOD, IN CONTRAST TO WHAT THE PRIEST AND LEVITE DID; WE SAY THAT NOT STOPPING TO HELP IS A BAD THING.

AND THE LAST POINT IS THAT THE WORD “NEIGHBOR” FOR US ENGLISH SPEAKERS MEANS THE PERSON NEXT DOOR, OR THE PERSON WHO LIVES IN OUR TOWN. IT'S A STRETCH TO SAY THAT THE HOMELESS PERSON DOWN ON MAIN STREET IS NEIGHBOR, OR THAT SOMEONE IN HAITI IS NEIGHBOR. IF WE INCLUDE THE WHOLE HUMAN RACE IN THE TERM “NEIGHBOR” THE WORD CEASES TO HAVE MEANING.

THE GREEK WORD THAT IS TRANSLATED INTO “NEIGHBOR” MEANS “NEAR ONE” – AND SO DOES THE ARAMAIC WORD WHICH WE PRESUME JESUS AND THE LAWYER MUST HAVE USED. SO WE CAN IMAGINE THE LAWYER ASKING “WHO IS THE NEAR ONE FOR ME?” AND THEN THE STORY OF THE SAMARITAN TAKES ON A DIFFERENT SHADE. THE PRIEST AND THE LEVITE MAY HAVE VERY GOOD REASONS FOR AVOIDING THE STRICKEN TRAVELER. IT WAS, AFTER ALL, A POTENTIAL TRAP, WHERE SOMEONE WOULD PRETEND TO BE INJURED AND WHEN SOMEONE STOPPED TO HELP, BANDITS WOULD POP OUT OF THE BUSHES AND ROB THE HELPER. THAT'S THE PLOT LINE IN MANY TV DRAMAS. OR IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN THAT THE PRIEST, WHO HAD TO BE RITUALLY CLEAN FOR HIS WORK, COULDN'T STOP AND TOUCH SOMEONE WHO WAS BLEEDING AND MAY EVEN BE DEAD. WE CAN'T IDENTIFY WITH HIS THINKING, BUT IN THE OLD TESTAMENT WE SEE HOW IMPORTANT THIS WAS TO THE PEOPLE OF THAT TIME. AND LEVITES WERE ENTRUSTED WITH MONEY FROM THE TEMPLE TREASURY USED TO HELP THE POOR; THE LEVITE'S FIRST RESPONSIBILITY WAS TO MAKE SURE THE MONEY GOT TO WHERE IT WAS SUPPOSED TO GO. IT MAY HAVE BEEN THAT THE PEOPLE LISTENING TO JESUS DIDN'T SEE THE PRIEST AND THE LEVITE AS DOING ANYTHING WRONG; ON THE OTHER HAND, JESUS PAINTS A PICTURE OF THIS SAMARITAN REALLY GOING OUT OF HIS WAY TO HELP THE STRANGER – ALMOST TO THE POINT OF BEING LAUGHABLE –BINDING UP WOUNDS, CARRYING HIM TO THE NEAREST TOWN, DROPPING HIM OFF IN A MOTEL, TELLING THE INKEEPER TO KEEP A TAB ON EXPENSES, AND PROMISING TO PAY HIM WHATEVER IT COST WHEN HE GETS BACK – I MIGHT HAVE GIVEN FIRST AID AND BROUGHT THE MAN TO THE NEAREST POLICE STATION OR HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOM, BUT PROBABLY WOULDN'T HAVE OFFERED TO PAY HIS BILLS.

SO THE LAWYER ASKS JESUS, “WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR? WHO IS THE ONE NEAR TO ME THAT I AM SUPPOSED TO LOVE?” AND JESUS TELLS THE STORY, AND ASKS, “WHO WAS THE ONE NEAR TO THE PERSON WHO WAS ROBBED?” AND THE LAWYER NOW UNDERSTANDS – “THE ONE WHO SHOWED MERCY!” BECAUSE AFTER ALL, THE PRIEST AND THE LEVITE HAD ALSO BEEN NEAR THE MAN WHO HAD BEEN ROBBED; THE DIFFERENCE WAS IN THE ACTION, NOT THE FACT OF PROXIMITY, NOT IN THE FACT THAT TWO JEWISH OFFICIALS HAD NOT STOPPED TO HELP A FELLOW JEW; A PERSON BECOMES NEIGHBOR WHEN HE OR SHE SHOWS MERCY, WHEN HE OR SHE ACTS OUT OF MERCY. WE CAN ALL CLAIM THAT WE LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR, BUT THOSE ARE JUST WORDS; LOVING OUR NEIGHBOR, JESUS IS SAYING, MEANS ACTION; MEANS TO ATTEND TO THE NEEDS OF THE PERSON RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW.

MOTHER THERESA WAS ONCE INVITED TO A CONFERENCE IN INDIA ABOUT DEVELOPING POLICY FOR DEALING WITH THE HOMELESS PEOPLE IN THE LARGE CITIES. ACTIVISTS AND GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AND RELIGIOUS LEADERS FILED IN TO THE AUDITORIUM – ALL GOOD, CONCERNED PEOPLE WHO WANTED TO HELP. BUT MOTHER THERESA NEVER GOT TO SPEAK. AS SHE AND HER COMPANIONS APPROACHED THE ENTRANCE THEY SAW SEVERAL STREET PEOPLE BEGGING; SO THEY STOPPED AND TENDED TO THEM. THE SICK ONES WERE BROUGHT BACK TO THE HOSPICE; THE HUNGRY ONES WERE FED; THE NAKED ONES WERE OFFERED CLOTHING. DID THIS MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR THE POOR PEOPLE OF INDIA? NOT A BIT. THE PEOPLE IN THE AUDITORIUM WERE HOPING THAT THE POLICIES AND PLANS THEY WERE DEVELOPING WOULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE. THAT WASN'T A BAD THING, IN FACT, IT WAS A VERY GOOD THING, BECAUSE SEVERAL OF THEIR SUGGESTIONS WERE ADOPTED BY THE GOVERNMENT, AND A DENT IS BEING MADE IN THE PROBLEM; MAYBE MOTHER THERESA WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO OFFER EVEN MORE GOOD IDEAS.

BUT WHEN WE ASK THE QUESTION, WHO IS OUR NEIGHBOR THAT WE ARE TO LOVE AS OURSELVES, WE ASK, HOW DO WE LOVE OURSELVES? WE SEE THAT WE ARE FED, CLOTHED, SHELTERED, ENTERTAINED, LOVED AND EDUCATED. WE SEE THAT WE HAVE THINGS – CARS, COMPUTERS, HOMES, FURNITURE, MONEY – AND WE PLAN TO GET MORE STUFF, JUST WAIT. AND WHEN WE SEE SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T HAVE WHAT WE HAVE, AND WE ADDRESS THAT PERSON'S NEEDS JUST AS WE ADDRESS OUR OWN, THEN AND ONLY THEN ARE WE FULFILLING THE COMMANDMENT TO LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR AS OURSELVES.

THE JEWS, NOW AND IN THE TIME OF JESUS, DO NOT CONSIDER GIVING MONEY TO THE POOR AS AN ACT OF CHARITY – IT'S AN ACT OF JUSTICE. AND WHEN WE SUPPORT OUR FAVORITE CAUSES WITH OUR TIME AND OUR MONEY, IT'S NOT QUITE THE SAME THING AS LOVING OUR NEIGHBOR AS OURSELVES. THIS WEEK LET US ALL MEDITATE ON WHAT IT MEANS, AND WHETHER WE ARE BEING NEIGHBOR.

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle C

LUKE 10:1-12, 17-20

THE CHURCH JESUS FOUNDED GREW VERY RAPIDLY. IT'S ESTIMATED THAT SAINT PAUL TRAVELED 10,000 MILES HIMSELF; AND HE WAS JUST ONE OF THE MANY WHO GAVE UP EVERYTHING TO GO AND PREACH THE KINGDOM. WE KNOW THAT CHRISTIANITY WAS PRESENT IN CHINA IN THE 6^TH CENTURY; WE KNOW THAT SYRIAN MISSIONARIES BROUGHT CHRISTIANITY TO INDIA AND WHAT ARE NOW THE GULF STATES. THE TWELVE APOSTLES DIDN'T DO IT ALL, BUT PEOPLE LIKE THE 72 MENTIONED IN TODAY'S READING. WHEN WE READ SAINT PAUL'S LETTERS, IN ONE OF THEM HE INSTRUCTS HIS PEOPLE HOW TO TELL WHETHER A MISSIONARY WHO IS VISITING IS GENUINE OR MERELY TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THEIR HOSPITALITY. AND WE FIND IN THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES AND PAUL'S WRITINGS CONTROVERSIES THAT WERE POPPING UP AS DIFFERENT MISSIONARIES PREACHED DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF THE GOSPELS. BUT THE QUESTION COMES, WHERE DID ALL THIS ENERGY COME FROM? REMEMBER, THERE WERE NO RELIGIOUS ORDERS, AND PAPAL AUTHORITY WAS PRACTICALLY NON-EXISTENT OUTSIDE OF ROME. WHAT SET THESE PEOPLE ON FIRE? AND WHY DON'T WE HAVE THAT KIND OF FIRE TODAY?

JESUS IS ALWAYS A MASTER OF THE HUMAN HEART. HE TOLD HIS DISCIPLES TO DO TWO THINGS – FIRST, GET RID OF ALMOST EVERYTHING; SECOND, DEPEND ON GOD TO PROVIDE FOR YOUR NEEDS. AND HE PROMISED THAT IF THEY WERE SINGLE-MINDED ABOUT THEIR MISSION, GOD WOULD NOT ONLY LOOK AFTER THEM, BUT WOULD GIVE SUCCESS TO THEIR MISSION. AND I THINK WHEN WE READ ABOUT THE GREAT MISSIONERS DOWN THROUGH THE AGES, THAT'S WHAT WE SEE. FRANCIS XAVIER WHO SINGLE-HANDEDLY PLANTED CHURCHES ALL OVER THE COASTS OF INDIA, CHINA, AND JAPAN, WENT FROM ONE SPOT TO ANOTHER BY BEGGING SHIP CAPTAINS FOR A FREE RIDE. MOTHER CABRINI, WHO LEFT ITALY FOR THE UNITED STATES WITH NOTHING, NOT EVEN A KNOWLEDGE OF ENGLISH, ESTABLISHED HOSPITALS AND SCHOOLS AS FAR OFF AS DENVER, AND LEFT BEHIND A THRIVING RELIGIOUS ORDER. AND THE STORIES GO ON AND ON. I HEARD A STORY FROM A PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER. WHEN THE PRESBYTERIANS SENT MISSIONARIES TO THE UNITED STATES, THEY HAD TO HAVE CALVIN'S “INSTITUTES OF CHRISTIAN RELIGION” – A REGULAR SET OF ENCYCLOPEDIA – AND SEVERAL OTHER BOOKS. THE LUTHERANS WEREN'T MUCH DIFFERENT. BUT THE METHODISTS AND THE BAPTISTS – ALL THEIR MISSIONARIES NEEDED WAS A BIBLE. WHILE THE PRESBYTERIANS WAITED UNTIL THE RAILROAD COULD BRING THEM AND THEIR LIBRARIES INTO THE INTERIOR OF THE COUNTRY, THE METHODIST CIRCUIT RIDERS WERE SETTING UP WORSHIPPING COMMUNITIES WHEREVER THEY COULD.

NOW WE CAN'T ALL BE MISSIONARIES – OR MAYBE WE CAN. MAYBE TODAY'S GOSPEL TELLS US SOMETHING ABOUT HOW OUR MESSAGE CAN BE THE MOST EFFECTIVE. IF WE DON'T WAIT AROUND UNTIL EVERYTHING IS JUST RIGHT; IF WE DON'T DEPEND ON COORDINATED EFFORT; IF WE ARE WILLING TO BE REJECTED, WHICH ALWAYS HURTS, WE WILL BE SUCCESSFUL. WE WILL HEAL THE SICK AND CURE THE LAME, AND JESUS WILL TELL US THAT OUR PLACE IS SECURED IN HEAVEN.

THE GOSPEL IS SUPPOSED TO BE PREACHED TO ALL HUMAN BEINGS. THAT'S YOUR AND MY RESPONSIBILITY. THERE IS URGENCY HERE. HOW MANY PEOPLE MIGHT HAVE COME TO KNOW JESUS IF WE WERE A LITTLE MORE BOLD? THAT NEIGHBOR OF OURS, THAT RELATIVE, THAT EMPLOYEE – WILL A DAY COME WHEN THEY WILL SAY, “WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THE GOOD NEWS?” AND WE WILL HANG OUR HEADS IN SHAME.

WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE LOCATION OF THIS GOSPEL IN THE BIBLE, YOU WILL NOTE THAT THE READING COMES FROM THE TENTH CHAPTER OF LUKE, VERSES 1-12 AND 17-20. WHEN I SEE SOMETHING LIKE THIS I ALWAYS WONDER WHAT WAS LEFT OUT. LISTEN TO WHAT WAS LEFT OUT:

“WOE TO YOU, CORIZON! WOE TO YOU BETHSAIDA! FOR IF THE MIRACLES HAD BEEN PERFORMED IN TYRE AND SIDON WHICH OCCURRED IN YOU, THEY WOULD HAVE REPENTED LONG AGO SITTING IN SACKCLOTH AND ASHES. BUT IT WILL BE MORE TOLERABLE FOR TYRE AND SIDON IN THE JUDGMENT THAN FOR YOU. AND YOU, CAPARNUM! YOU WILL NOT BE EXALTED TO HEAVEN, WILL YOU? YOU WILL BE BROUGHT DOWN TO HADES. HE SAID TO HIS DISCIPLES THEN (AND THAT'S YOU AND I) “THE ONE WHO LISTENS TO YOU LISTENS TO ME, AND THE ONE WHO REJECTS YOU REJECTS ME. AND HE WHO REJECTS ME REJECTS THE ONE WHO SENT ME.”

SO THE LESSON HERE IS NOT TO WAIT UNTIL YOU ARE PERFECT, NOT TO WAIT UNTIL YOU HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS, NOT TO WAIT UNTIL YOU ARE SURE YOUR MESSAGE WILL BE RECEIVED FAVORABLY. BECAUSE WE ARE LOSING THE WORLD. THE EQUIVALENT OF WHOLE CITIES WILL BE LOST BECAUSE NOT ENOUGH CHRISTIANS ARE PROCLAIMING THE GOOD NEWS. INSTEAD, WE ARE LOST IN THE CONFUSION THAT WE ARE SUPPOSED TO ELIMINATE; OUR CHRISTIANITY HAS BEEN MISSIONIZED BY THE WORLD AND WHEN YOU DO STUDIES, YOU FIND THAT AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN CATHOLICS HOLD EXACTLY THE SAME ATTITUDES AS THE NON-CHRISTIANS, STATISTICALLY. IF WE HAVE BEEN CONVERTED TO THE WORLD, IT'S VERY SAD, BECAUSE JESUS TOLD US THAT WE WOULD BE THE SALT OF THE EARTH.

GO OUT TODAY AND BE A MISSIONARY TO SOMEONE THIS WEEK. BRING UP JESUS CHRIST AND HIS GOOD NEWS. YOU WILL FEEL SHY AND A LITTLE SILLY. AND YOU MIGHT GET LAUGHED AT. BUT YOU MIGHT FIND SOMEONE WHO NEEDS TO HEAR WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY, BY YOUR WORDS AND BY YOUR LIFE, AND FOR WHOM IT WILL MEAN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DEATH AND ETERNAL LIFE. AND THAT PERSON WILL BE FOREVER GRATEFUL TO YOU – LITERALLY FOREVER. ISN'T THAT WORTH THE EFFORT?

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

LUKE 9:51-62

WHEN I WAS IN MEDICAL SCHOOL IN CALIFORNIA, THE HIPPIE MOVEMENT TOOK HOLD. THEY WERE PRETTY THICK IN SAN FRANCISCO, JUST NORTH OF WHERE I LIVED. AND OVER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA IN BERKELY, THEY WERE ALL OVER AS WELL. ANY TIME YOU WENT ON THE CAMPUS THERE WERE PEOPLE WITH CARDBOARD TABLES TRYING TO GET YOU TO SIGN PETITIONS – END THE WAR, IMPEACH THE PRESIDENT, SAVE THE FOREST OR OCEAN. IT WAS AN INTERESTING TIME, AS YOUNG PEOPLE TUNED IN, TURNED ON, AND DROPPED OUT. IT WAS A TIME OF COMMUNES GROWING MARIJUANA AND INVENTING NEW RELIGIONS. IT WAS A TIME OF GREAT EXPERIMENTATION IN ART AND MUSIC. AND THERE WAS A SMALL SUBSET OF THE HIPPIES – THEY CALLED THEMSELVES “JESUS PEOPLE”. THEY WERE DISTINGUISHED BY THE LARGE CROSSES THEY WORE, THE LONG HAIR, AND THE CLOTHING WHICH RESEMBLED WHAT THEY IMAGINED JESUS WORE. AND THEY WENT AROUND IN BANDS PREACHING AND PRACTICING, ACCORDING TO THEM, UNCONDITIONAL LOVE – ALL THE WHILE BEGGING FROM PASSING STRANGERS.

ONE MAN SAYS TO JESUS, “I WILL FOLLOW YOU” AND JESUS TELLS HIM IT WOULD MEAN GIVING UP A PLACE TO LIVE AND WANDERING THE ROADS OF PALESTINE. HE COMMANDS ANOTHER TO FOLLOW HIM, AND THAT PERSON WANTS TO WAIT UNTIL HIS FAMILY OBLIGATIONS HAVE BEEN DISCHARGED. AND A THIRD SIMPLY WANTS TO GO BACK AND SAY GOODBYE, AND TO THAT ONE, JESUS SAYS IN EFFECT THAT IF YOU HAVE DECIDED TO FOLLOW HIM AND LOOK BACK, THEN YOU AREN'T WORTHY OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. I HOPE JESUS IS SPEAKING FIGURATIVELY, BECAUSE I LOOK BACK, I MAKE EXCUSES, I DON'T REALLY WANT TO STEP OUT OF MY SECURITY, AND I CAN SEE MYSELF IN ALL THREE OF THESE MEN WHO WANT TO FOLLOW JESUS BUT ONLY SO FAR; THEY ARE EACH UNWILLING TO LEAVE BEHIND THAT TO WHICH THEY ARE ATTACHED, AND THAT IS JESUS' CALL TO EACH OF THEM. I THINK WE GET THE MESSAGE – IF YOU ARE GOING TO COMMIT TO JESUS, REALLY COMMIT. IF YOU ARE GOING TO BE A CATHOLIC, COMMIT TO THE CHURCH AND HER TEACHINGS.

BUT THERE IS ANOTHER QUESTION HERE. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO FOLLOW JESUS? DOES IT MEAN TO BE LIKE ONE OF THOSE JESUS PEOPLE, TRYING TO IMITATE THE WAY JESUS LIVED, OR AT LEAST HOW WE IMAGINE HE LIVED, RIGHT DOWN TO THE CLOTHING AND THE SANDALS? AFTER ALL, SAINT FRANCIS WAS PROBABLY A JESUS PEOPLE. BUT I THINK WE ALL RECOGNIZE THAT HE DOESN'T MEAN THAT WHEN HE ASKS US TO FOLLOW HIM.

A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK THAT FOLLOWING JESUS IS GOING ABOUT DOING GOOD. WORKING IN SOUP KITCHENS, MANNING THE PICKET LINES FOR ABORTION CLINICS, VISITING THE SICK, FEEDING THE HUNGRY – ALL THE WORKS THAT JESUS DID AND JESUS TOLD HIS FOLLOWERS TO DO. AND ALL THESE THINGS ARE GOOD, AND CERTAINLY APPROPRIATE ACTIVITIES FOR CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. BUT WHO IS TO SAY THAT THE PERSON ACTUALLY FEEDING THE HUNGRY IS SUPERIOR TO THE PERSON WHO WORKS AT SOME SECULAR OCCUPATION AND PROVIDES THE MONEY THAT BUYS THE FOOD? AND CAN WE TALK ABOUT CHRISTIAN MINISTRY IN THE WORK PLACE, WHERE PEOPLE DO THEIR VERY BEST TO EXERCISE THEIR SKILLS AND TREAT THEIR FELLOW MAN WITH HONESTY, EVEN THOUGH THEY GET PAID FOR WHAT THEY ARE DOING? JESUS CALLS ALL OF US TO BE MINISTERS, AND IF WE CAN BE MINISTERS IN THE WORK WE DO, WE AREN'T FAR FROM THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. BUT GOING ABOUT DOING GOOD IS PROBABLY NOT THE SAME THING AS FOLLOWING JESUS.

I THINK THAT FOLLOWING JESUS MEANS THAT WE TRY TO SEE THE WORLD THE WAY HE DID; WE TRY TO RESPOND TO SITUATIONS THE WAY HE WOULD. IF THIS IS THE CASE, THEN FOLLOWING JESUS IS OPEN TO EVERYONE, REGARDLESS OF YOUR STATE IN LIFE, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU ARE RICH OR POOR, MALE OR FEMALE, A PRIEST OR A LAYMAN. AND IT MEANS THAT YOU CAN BE FOLLOWING HIM EVEN WHEN YOU AREN'T OUT DOING A GOOD WORK, OR EVEN WHEN YOU AREN'T AT YOUR OCCUPATION. YOU CAN BE FOLLOWING HIM EVERY WAKING MOMENT. AND THAT'S WHAT HE CALLS US TO DO – EVERY WAKING MOMENT.

SO HOW DO WE GET THIS MIND-SET, TO PUT ON CHRIST, AS SAINT PAUL CALLS IT. TO LIVE, NOT MYSELF, BUT CHRIST LIVING IN ME, TO PARAPHRASE SAINT PAUL AGAIN.

OUR BEST SOURCE OF LEARNING ABOUT THE MIND OF JESUS IS THE NEW TESTAMENT, ESPECIALLY THE GOSPELS. SOME OF US MAY THINK WE ALREADY KNOW – JESUS WAS WARM AND FUZZY AND ACCEPTING, AND PATIENT AND KIND. HE WAS INDEED. BUT HE ALSO WASN'T AFRAID TO CALL A SIN A SIN, TO CONFRONT GOOD PEOPLE WHO WERE MISSING THE FOREST FOR THE TREES, LIKE THE PHARISEES; AND HE WASN'T AFRAID EVEN TO REBUKE HIS OWN FRIENDS WHEN THEY STRAYED – AS HE DOES TODAY WHEN THE APOSTLES OFFER TO CALL DOWN FIRE FROM HEAVEN TO PUNISH THE PEOPLE WHO WOULDN'T GIVE THEM HOSPITALITY. WE ALL TRY TO BE WARM AND FUZZY, BUT VERY FEW OF US HAVE THE COURAGE TO DO THE OTHER THINGS.

WE LEARN ABOUT THE MIND OF JESUS BY LISTENING TO HIS CHURCH. AFTER ALL, IF WE ARE CATHOLICS, AND SERIOUS ABOUT OUR FAITH, WE BELIEVE THAT WE BELONG TO THE CHURCH THAT JESUS FOUNDED, AND SAID THAT HE WOULD PROTECT ALL THROUGH TIME. IF WE REALLY BELIEVE THIS, WE AT LEAST OWE IT TO OURSELVES TO KNOW WHAT THE CHURCH TEACHES. IF WE DON'T MAKE THE EFFORT WE CERTAINLY MISS OUT ON A MAJOR WAY TO FOLLOW JESUS.

THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE THESE DAYS WHO BELONG TO NO ORGANIZED RELIGION. MOST OF THEM ARE NOT ATHEISTS, BUT AT THE SAME TIME WOULD HAVE A HARD TIME TELLING YOU WHAT THEY BELIEVE; THEY ARE “SPIRITUAL” BUT NOT “RELIGIOUS”. BUT JESUS WAS SAYING, “FOLLOW ME.” THERE ARE GOOD PEOPLE IN ALL PARTS OF THE WORLD, PEOPLE WHO ARE MEMBERS OF ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT RELIGIONS OR HAVE NO RELIGION AT ALL. THAT WAS TRUE IN JESUS' TIME AS WELL, BUT HE SAID , “FOLLOW ME” AND “I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE”, AND “NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH ME.” IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO BE GOOD, TO BE SPIRITUAL.

IN OUR CHURCH THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE ONE FOOT IN THE CHURCH AND ONE FOOT IN OUR SOCIETY, WHO SEE NOTHING INCOMPATIBLE ABOUT IGNORING WHAT THE CHURCH TEACHES AND YET CONSIDERING THEMSELVES GOOD CATHOLICS. THAT'S NOT A CONDEMNATION. BUT IT IS A REASON FOR EACH OF US TO ASK THE QUESTION, “WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO FOLLOW JESUS?” AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, “AM I FOLLOWING JESUS.” BECAUSE I DO NOT WANT TO BE JUDGED UNWORTHY OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle C

LUKE 9:18-24

MY MOTHER USED TO TALK ABOUT HOW, WHEN SHE WAS A LITTLE GIRL, HER OWN MOTHER WOULD MAKE THE CHILDREN STAND WITH THEIR ARMS OUTSTRETCHED FOR THREE HOURS ON GOOD FRIDAY. MY MOTHER STILL REMEMBERED HOW HARD THIS WAS. BUT MY GRANDMOTHER WAS ONTO SOMETHING, AND WHILE IT MAY SOUND A LITTLE EXTREME TODAY, THERE WAS A TIME WHEN CATHOLICS EMBRACED PENANCES, NOT BECAUSE THEY WERE MASOCHISTS, BUT BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO BE CLOSER TO JESUS.

IN THE EARLY DAYS OF CHRISTIANITY THERE WERE A LOT OF MARTYRS – PEOPLE WHO WERE PUT TO DEATH FOR BEING CHRISTIANS, AFTER HAVING BEEN GIVEN THE CHANCE TO RENOUNCE THEIR FAITH. BUT THERE WERE TWO OTHER NOTABLE CLASSES OF CHRISTIANS; THERE WERE THOSE WHO HAD COME CLOSE TO DEATH BUT HADN'T DIED; AND THERE WERE THOSE WHO DID RENOUNCE CHRISTIANITY AND EVENTUALLY WANTED TO BE REINSTATED. TO BE REINSTATED WAS A TERRIBLE ORDEAL; YOU FIRST OF ALL HAD TO CONVINCE THE BISHOP AND THE LOCAL COMMUNITY THAT YOU WERE SERIOUS; BECAUSE THEY COULD SIMPLY REFUSE TO HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH YOU, AND THAT WAS CONSIDERED THE EQUIVALENT OF BEING CONDEMNED TO HELL. AND IF YOU WERE ACCEPTED IT MEANT USUALLY A LIFETIME OF PENANCE AS A CATECHUMEN, AND AFTER MANY YEARS, PERHAPS EVEN AT THE TIME OF DEATH, YOU WERE FINALLY ALLOWED BACK INTO THE CHURCH AS A FULL-FLEDGED MEMBER. BECAUSE APOSTASY WAS ONE OF THE MOST SERIOUS SINS OF THEM ALL.

THOSE WHO HAD NEARLY DIED WERE CALLED “CONFESSORS” BECAUSE THEY HAD CONFESSED THEIR FAITH EVEN WHEN THEIR LIVES WERE BEING THREATENED. THEY WERE CONSIDERED TO HAVE ACCESS TO GOD'S EARS, PERHAPS TO ACTUALLY EFFECT THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS THROUGH THEIR PRAYERS. AND SO WHEN A PERSON WHO HAD APOSTATIZED WANTED TO RETURN TO THE CHURCH, HE MIGHT SINGLE OUT A CONFESSOR TO ADVOCATE FOR HIM BEFORE THE BISHOP. AS TIME WENT ON, THE TERM WAS APPLIED TO ANY HOLY PERSON, SO THAT BY THE MIDDLE AGES IT SORT OF BECAME A WAY OF DESCRIBING A SAINT WHO WASN'T A VIRGIN, A MARTYR, OR A CLERIC. I BRING THIS UP BECAUSE WE HAVE IN TODAY'S GOSPEL ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE MOMENTS WHEN JESUS SEEMS TO SAY SOMETHING THAT IS VERY HARD TO UNDERSTAND. AFTER HIS APOSTLES RECOGNIZE HIM, HE REBUKES THEM AND TELLS THEM TO TELL NO ONE. SOME BIBLE TRANSLATIONS SAY HE ENJOINED THEM, OR FORCIBLY ORDERED THEM – BUT THE GREEK WORD IS MORE CLOSELY RELATED TO REBUKE, OR IF YOU PREFER, SCOLD. SO WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?

THE APOSTLES HAVE DEFINITELY MADE PROGRESS; THEY'VE FIGURED OUT THAT JESUS IS THE CHRIST OF GOD, THE MESSIAH. IF JESUS HAD SAID, “GO AHEAD, TELL EVERYONE!” THEY WOULD HAVE GLADLY DONE SO. AFTER ALL, THAT WOULD SEEM TO BE VERY GOOD NEWS FOR A PEOPLE WHO HAD BEEN UNDER THE ROMAN THUMB, AND BEFORE THAT, SEVERAL OTHER COUNTRIES; A PEOPLE WHO HAD BEEN EXPELLED FROM THEIR HOMES AND LAND AND ALLOWED BACK TO LIVE ON JUST A SMALL PART OF IT; A PEOPLE WHO PAID TAXES TO A FOREIGN POWER SO THAT ROME COULD KEEP LARGE NUMBERS OF SOLDIERS IN THE AREA.

BUT JESUS IS SAYING, TELL NO ONE!” AND HIS WORDS ARE SHARP. BECAUSE THERE'S MORE TO BEING A MESSIAH THAN MERELY CLAIMING THE TITLE. JESUS EXPLAINS TO THE APOSTLES THAT HE WILL BE A MESSIAH WHO SUFFERS AND DIES AT THE HANDS OF THE PEOPLE'S LEADERS; AND HE TELLS THEM THAT THEY ARE TO TAKE UP THEIR OWN CROSSES JUST AS HE WOULD TAKE UP HIS.

CONFESSORS WERE PEOPLE WHO HAD DONE MORE THAN LIVE GOOD LIVES; WHO HAD PRAYED AND FASTED AND GIVEN ALMS – ALL OF WHICH WAS PART OF LIVING A CHRISTIAN LIFE. CONFESSORS HAD WALKED THAT LONELY ROAD THAT JESUS WALKED, AND LIVED TO TELL ABOUT IT. THEY HAD HELD ONTO THEIR FAITH EVEN IN THE FACE OF TORTURE AND THE THREAT OF DEATH. THEY HAD CARRIED THEIR CROSS AS JESUS COMMANDED, AND THAT MEANT THAT THEY UNDERSTOOD WHAT IT MEANT TO BE A CHRISTIAN IN A WAY THE REST OF US COULD ONLY GUESS.

WHEN THE CHURCH BECAME LEGITIMATE AND WAS SUPPORTED BY THE ROMAN EMPIRE, PERSECUTION STOPPED; HOWEVER, THE INSIGHT THAT SUFFERING WAS IN SOME WAY PART OF THE CHRISTIAN CALLING CONTINUED. WE HAVE SOME GREAT STORIES FROM THIS TIME, AS THE MONASTIC MOVEMENT BEGAN AND PRODUCED PEOPLE WHO WORE HAIR SHIRTS AND SLEPT ON ROCKS AND PRAYED EVERY MOMENT OF THEIR WAKING HOURS. WE HAVE SAINTS WHO SPENT THEIR LIVES PERCHED ON PILLARS; WE HAVE OTHERS WHO LASHED THEMSELVES WITH CHAINS. AND WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THESE PEOPLE WE THINK THEY WERE MASOCHISTS, THAT THEY WERE JUST PLAIN CRAZY. BUT THEY WERE PIONEERS, TRYING TO DEVELOP WAYS OF INTEGRATING SUFFERING INTO THEIR OWN LIVES. SAINT BENEDICT CAME ALONG AND REFORMED MONASTACISM; HE ADVOCATED BALANCE; AND HIS RULE INFLUENCES CHRISTIANITY TO THIS DAY.

HOWEVER, WE HAVE FORGOTTEN THAT IF WE ARE TO PROFIT FROM THE SUFFERING THAT WILL OCCUR IN EVERYONE'S LIFE AT SOME TIME OR ANOTHER, WE HAVE LEARN HOW TO SUFFER. IN THE OLDEN DAYS, WE USED THE WORD “MORTIFICATION”. IF KNEELING WAS UNCOMFORTABLE, WELL, WE MIGHT KNEEL A LITTLE LONGER. IF SOMEONE SERVED ME FOOD THAT I DIDN'T LIKE, I'D EAT IT ANYWAY. IF I REALLY LIKED TO SLEEP IN ON SATURDAY MORNING, I WOULD GET UP NEVERTHELESS. MORTIFICATION IS A PROCESS IN WHICH I TEACH MY BODY AND MIND WHO IS BOSS, AND I DO ALL THIS BECAUSE IN ORDER TO GROW SPIRITUALLY, I'VE GOT TO TEACH MYSELF THAT I AM NOT THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE. IN ADDITION TO SIMPLE THINGS LIKE THESE, PAIN WILL COME ALONG; PHYSICAL PAIN, MENTAL PAIN. AGAIN, IN THE OLDEN DAYS, WE WERE TOLD TO “OFFER IT UP”. IN OTHER WORDS, WE CAN TAKE THE PAIN THAT WE DON'T ASK FOR AND WE CAN MAKE IT PART OF THE CROSS WE TAKE UP TO FOLLOW JESUS.

CONFESSORS WERE PEOPLE WHO HAD FACED DEATH, AND IN SO DOING HAD MADE THE DECISION THAT FOLLOWING CHRIST, EVEN TO CALVARY AND THE CROSS, WAS PREFERABLE TO THE PAIN, SUFFERING, AND EVEN DEATH THAT THEY FACED. OTHER CHRISTIANS RECOGNIZED THAT BECAUSE THEY VOLUNTARILY SUFFERED, BECAUSE THEY REFUSED TO WAVER IN CIRCUMSTANCES DAUNTING TO MOST PEOPLE, THEY COULD CLAIM TO BE TRUE FOLLOWERS OF JESUS. AND YOU AND I MAY NOT LIKE IT, WE MAY FIND THE VERY IDEA REPULSIVE, BUT WE CAN'T TURN OUR BACKS ON THE VERY WORDS OF JESUS: “IF ANYONE WISHES TO COME AFTER ME HE MUST DENY HIMSELF AND TAKE UP HIS CROSS DAILY AND FOLLOW ME.” SUFFERING IS PART OF LIFE. JESUS HAS GIVEN US THE POWER TO MAKE SUFFERING OUR GATEWAY TO ETERNAL LIFE.