Midnight Mass, Christmas, 2011

LUKE 2:1-14

WELCOME TO SAINT MARY'S. WELCOME HOME.

I GREW UP IN MONTANA. I WENT TO COLLEGE IN WASHINGTON, D.C., TO THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA. THE FIRST SEMESTER I WAS AWAY, EVEN AT THE RIPE OLD AGE OF SEVENTEEN, I FELT HOMESICK AT TIMES. SOMETIMES MY HOMESICKNESS WAS REALLY BAD, OTHER TIMES ALMOST NON-EXISTENT. BUT AS CHRISTMAS APPROACHED, IT BUILT UP. I REMEMBER PACKING MY BAGS AND GETTING ON THE TRAIN AND MAKING THAT TWO AND ONE HALF DAY TRIP ACROSS THE COUNTRY. IT WAS A COLD DARK EVENING WHEN WE PULLED INTO THE STATION IN HELENA. MY DAD HAD COME TO PICK ME UP. WE DROVE HOME AND WALKED IN TO THE WARM INVITING HOUSE FILLED WITH THE SMELLS OF CHRISTMAS – THE TREE, THE CANDLES, THE GINGERBREAD, THE FIREPLACE CRACKLING AWAY. AND THERE WAS MY MOTHER AND MY TWO SISTERS, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN WE WERE A FAMILY AGAIN, AND I WAS HOME.

HUMAN BEINGS NEED A HOME, IN FACT, MOST CREATURES DO. REMEMBER WHEN JESUS SAID, “FOXES HAVE DENS AND BIRDS OF THE AIR HAVE THEIR NESTS, BUT THE SON OF MAN HAS NOWHERE TO LAY HIS HEAD.” EVEN JESUS MISSED HIS HOME WHEN HE WAS AWAY FROM IT. WE NEED HOMES, AND WE ARE HOMESICK WHEN WE ARE AWAY.

WHAT MAKES A HOME? SURELY SIGHTS AND SMELLS AND FAMILIAR SURROUNDINGS HELP, BUT ISN'T IT FUNDAMENTALLY ABOUT PEOPLE, PEOPLE WITH WHOM YOU CAN BE COMFORTABLE, PEOPLE WHO ACCEPT YOU WITH ALL YOUR FAULTS AND STILL LOVE YOU?

THAT'S WHAT THE SHEPHERDS FOUND WHEN THEY LEFT THE DARK PASTURES AND WENT TO THE MANGER. WHY WAS THAT CHILD, THAT CHRIST CHILD, GIVEN TO US? WHY DID GOD BECOME FIRST OF ALL A BABY? BABIES HAVE A WAY OF MAKING US FEEL AT HOME. BABIES DON'T CARE HOW MUCH MONEY YOU HAVE OR WHAT TITLES YOU CLAIM. THEY DON'T CARE WHAT YOU HAVE ON YOUR CONSCIENCE, OR THAT YOU MAY BE A TERRIBLE SINNER. THREE WEEKS AGO I BAPTIZED MY NEWEST GRANDCHILD, AND IT WAS FUN TO WATCH OTHERWISE UNEMOTIONAL MEN MAKE FUNNY FACES TO TRY TO GET A SMILE OUT OF HER, OR DIGNIFIED LADIES SPEAKING BABY TALK. PEOPLE DROP THEIR MASKS AROUND BABIES, BECAUSE BABIES DON'T JUDGE, THEY ONLY ACCEPT; AND IN RESPONSE WE GET IN TOUCH WITH OUR OWN INNOCENCE FOR A MOMENT; AND MAYBE WE SEE OURSELVES AS GOD OUR FATHER LOOKS ON US. GOD BECAME A BABY, THE FATHER GAVE US THIS CHILD, SO THAT WE COULD BE AT HOME. IF WE ARE CHRISTIANS WE ARE NOT PART OF THIS WORLD, AND SOMETHING IN US LONGS FOR OUR REAL HOME, OUR REAL FATHER; AND HERE IN THIS CHURCH THE CHILD WELCOMES US, CALLS US TO COME HOME FOR A LITTLE WHILE TO REST.

WHEN WE REALLY THINK ABOUT IT, THAT WORLD OUT THERE IS A CONSTANT TEMPTATION FOR US TO BECOME CYNICAL, FOR US TO LOSE OUR SENSE OF WONDER. ANOTHER POLITICIAN IS FOUND TO HAVE AN ADULTEROUS RELATIONSHIP. ANOTHER BISHOP IS ACCUSED OF COVERING UP A SCANDAL. A BELOVED FOOTBALL COACH IS FOUND TO HAVE KNOWN ABOUT THE CRIMES OF ONE OF HIS ASSISTANTS, BUT COVERED IT UP. AND THE LIST GOES ON AND ON. AND WE WONDER IF THERE IS ANY NOBILITY LEFT IN THE WORLD, IF THERE ARE ANY CAUSES WORTHY ENOUGH TO DEVOTE OURSELVES TO – OR IS WHAT THE WORLD SAYS TRUE – IT IS EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF.

THAT'S WHERE OUR HOME BECOMES SO IMPORTANT. HERE IN THIS BABY IS TRUE INNOCENCE; HERE IS TRUE WONDER; HERE IS A CAUSE FOR WHICH WE CAN GIVE OUR LIVES. THE CHILD WITH OPEN ARMS, WITH COMPLETE ACCEPTANCE, WITH UNCONDITIONAL LOVE; THE CHILD WHO REVEALS WHAT KIND OF GOD WE WORSHIP. AND WE NEED TO KEEP COMING BACK TO DRINK OF THIS INNOCENCE SO THAT WE ARE NOT OVERCOME BY THAT WORLD THROUGH WHICH WE TRAVEL AS STRANGERS.

MY GRANDFATHER WAS NOT A CHURCH-GOER. HE USED TO SAY THAT HE FELT CLOSEST TO GOD WHEN HE WAS OUT IN THE WOODS, OR FISHING IN A MOUNTAIN STREAM. HE DIDN'T NEED A CHURCH IN WHICH TO ENCOUNTER GOD. BUT HE WAS WRONG. JESUS TOLD US THAT WHERE TWO OR THREE ARE GATHERED TOGETHER, THERE HE IS. THE SHEPHERDS WERE GIVEN THE NEWS THAT A CHILD HAD BEEN GIVEN TO THE HUMAN RACE, BUT THEY HAD TO COME TOGETHER IN THE STABLE TO MAKE THAT PROMISE REAL FOR THEMSELVES. GOD LOVES HIS PEOPLE BUT HE ESPECIALLY LOVES THEM WHEN THEY ARE GATHERED TOGETHER IN THE PRESENCE OF HIS SON. WE WHO WERE IN DARKNESS SEE A GREAT LIGHT, BUT ONLY HERE, ONLY WHERE THE CHILD IS.

IT'S ALWAYS WONDERFUL TO GO HOME, WHERE WE CAN LET DOWN OUR GUARD, WHERE WE CAN LOVE AND BE LOVED, WHERE WE ARE UNCONDITIONALLY ACCEPTED. IT MAKES US STRONGER PEOPLE, WE BECOME MORE CENTERED, MORE GROUNDED; WE BECOME RENEWED. BECAUSE THAT IS THE RHYTHM OF THE LIFE OF A CHRISTIAN – TO COME HOME, TO PUT DOWN OUR BURDENS, TO LAY ASIDE THE CARES OF THE WORLD. AND THEN WE FEAST AT THE BANQUET TO WHICH WE HAVE BEEN INVITED; WE RECEIVE HOLY COMMUNION, WHERE WE BECOME ONE WITH THE CHILD, AND WITH EACH OTHER; AND WE RECEIVE PART OF HIS LIGHT. AND, GOD WILLING, WHEN WE LEAVE THIS SPIRITUAL HOME WE WILL CARRY THE LIGHT WITH US, SO THAT WE CAN BRING INNOCENCE AND TRUTH AND GOODNESS INTO THE WORLD WHICH SO DESPERATELY NEEDS THOSE THINGS.

THIS IS OUR HOME, NOT BECAUSE OF THE BUILDING OR THE DECORATIONS OR THE SIGHTS AND SMELLS AND SOUNDS, BUT BECAUSE OF THE CHILD WHO IS GIVEN TO US, WHO IS ALWAYS HERE , AND HERE IN A SPECIAL WAY, TO WELCOME US FROM OUR BURDENS, TO FEED US IN WORD AND SACRAMENT, AND TO SEND US FORTH REFRESHED AND RENEWED.

THIS IS OUR HOME BECAUSE THIS IS WHERE THE FATHER OF THAT CHILD INVITES US TO BE PART OF HIS FAMILY, WHERE WE CAN BE WITH OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS AND BE REMINDED THAT THE FATHER LOVES EACH OF THEM WITHOUT HOLDING BACK, JUST AS HE LOVES YOU; AND HOW CAN WE NOT LOVE THE ONES OUR FATHER CALLS HIS OWN.

THIS IS OUR HOME BECAUSE WE HAVE A FAMILY RESEMBLANCE; THE HOLY SPIRIT LIVES IN US AND IS CONSTANTLY MAKING US MORE LIKE THE CHILD WHO IS GIVEN TO US, THE CHILD WHO MAKES US BECOME LIKE LITTLE CHILDREN, CHILDREN WHO FORGIVE, WHO LIVE IN THE PRESENT, WHO LEARN TO TRUST THEIR FATHER.

WELCOME HOME, BROTHERS AND SISTERS. AND COME OFTEN AND BE REFRESHED. THE CHILD IS ALWAYS HERE FOR YOU AT SAINT MARY'S.

Fourth Sunday of Advent, cycle B

LUKE 1:26-38

A FEW YEARS AGO, MY GRANDDAUGHTER DID SOMETHING I HAD TOLD HER NOT TO DO. SINCE THIS WAS THE THIRD OR FOURTH TIME THAT DAY THAT THIS HAPPENED, I RAISED MY VOICE AS I BEGIN TO LIST WHAT FEARSOME PUNISHMENTS I WOULD DOLE OUT TO HER IF ANYTHING LIKE THIS HAPPENED AGAIN. SHE CALMLY STARED AT ME WHILE I CAUGHT MY BREATH, AND SAID, “I’M JUST A KID, YOU KNOW.”

MARY WAS JUST A KID. SHE WAS A TEENAGER, WE SUSPECT, BECAUSE NO WOMAN GOT THROUGH HER TEEN YEARS WITHOUT BEING MARRIED, AND OF COURSE WE KNOW MARY WAS ENGAGED. IN MEDIEVAL TIMES THERE WAS A LOT OF SPECULATION ABOUT HOW MARY HAD BEEN TURNED OVER TO THE PRIESTS IN THE TEMPLE WHEN SHE WAS VERY YOUNG SO THAT SHE COULD BECOME EDUCATED; HOW JOSEPH WAS AN OLD MAN, LONG PAST THE POINT OF BEING ABLE TO FATHER A CHILD; AND IN FACT THERE ARE STORIES ABOUT JOACHIM AND ANN, THE NAMES GIVEN TO MARY’S PARENTS. THOSE SCHOLARS FROM THE MIDDLE AGES COULDN’T GET THEIR HEADS AROUND HOW MARY COULD HAVE BEEN CONCEIVED IN THE MANNER THAT ALL OTHER PEOPLE ARE CONCEIVED, SO THEY MADE UP SOME PRETTY INTERESTING STORIES ABOUT HOW IT COULD BE THAT MARY COULD BE THE CHILD OF HER PARENTS, AND YET HER PARENTS CONCEIVED HER IN SOME MIRACULOUS WAY.

BUT SHE WAS JUST A KID. SHE WASN’T EDUCATED – EVEN RICH AND NOBLE WOMEN WEREN’T EDUCATED – AND JOSEPH WAS YOUNG ENOUGH TO HAVE CHILDREN; THE PEOPLE OF THAT TIME, UNLIKE OUR OWN, VALUED CHILDREN, AND MARY’S PARENTS, WHO HAD A BIG SAY IN WHO SHE WOULD MARRY, WOULD HAVE REALLY WANTED GRANDCHILDREN, JUST AS MARY WOULD ASPIRE TO BE A MOTHER. NO DODDERING OLD MAN FOR HER. BUT THERE WAS SOMETHING ABOUT MARY – THE LORD WAS WITH HER. WITH ALL THE WONDERS OF HEAVEN, WITH ALL THE BEAUTY OF THE UNIVERSE, WITH ALL THE ANGELS IN THEIR MAGNIFICENCE TO SEE, THE FATHER LOOKED AT MARY AND LOVED HER AND WAS WITH HER. THIS DID NOT HAPPEN AT THE TIME THE ANGEL APPEARED TO HER; THE ANGEL WAS JUST MAKING AN OBSERVATION. NO, THE LORD WAS WITH HER FROM THE BEGINNING, FROM THE MOMENT OF CONCEPTION, AND SHE WAS HIS LOVE, THIS KID, THIS 12 OR 13 YEAR OLD GIRL.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO HAVE THE LORD WITH YOU? AFTER ALL, MARY’S LIFE WASN’T SO DIFFERENT FROM ANYONE’S. SHE CERTAINLY SUFFERED, SHE GREW OLD, SHE DIED. WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

WHEN THE ANGEL TOLD HER THAT SHE WAS TO BE THE MOTHER OF THE SAVIOR, SHE REACTED AS ANYONE WOULD. “HOW CAN THIS BE, FOR I HAVE NO RELATIONS WITH A MAN?” ALMOST LIKE DYING, HER WHOLE LIFE FLASHED BEFORE HER EYES. WHAT ABOUT JOSEPH, WHOM SHE LOVED, WHOM SHE PLANNED TO SPEND HER LIFE WITH? WHAT WOULD HE SAY? WHAT ABOUT HER PARENTS, WHO WOULD BE HEART-BROKEN? WHAT ABOUT … BUT THE LIST WENT ON AND ON. HER MIND RAISED A MILLION OBJECTIONS. THIS COULD NOT BE. BUT THE LORD WAS WITH HER, AND WHEN THE LORD IS WITH YOU, YOU HAVE THE FREEDOM TO CHOOSE WHAT IS RIGHT, EVEN WHEN IT IS LIKELY TO HURT. AND MARY CHOSE THE GOOD; SHE ROSE ABOVE ALL THE OBJECTIONS HER MIND WAS THROWING UP, AND SAID, “FIAT, VOLUNTAS TUA!” AND I SAY THAT IN LATIN, BECAUSE IT IS MUCH STRONGER THAN THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION WE JUST READ. MARY SAID, “DO YOUR WILL TO ME.” SHE DOES NOT PASSIVELY ACCEPT WHAT GOD HAS IN STORE FOR HER; SHE EAGERLY EMBRACES IT. SHE IS NOT GOING TO OVERTHINK IT, SHE IS NOT GOING TO PUT CONDITIONS AROUND IT; BECAUSE GOD IS WITH HER, AND SHE KNOWS IT, SHE CHOOSES TO ENTER INTO HIS WILL.

AND DO YOU KNOW THAT GOD IS WITH YOU? HE IS WITH YOU JUST AS HE IS WITH MARY, BECAUSE YOU WERE BAPTIZED, AND AT THAT MOMENT OF BAPTISM, HE LOOKED AWAY FROM THE SERAPHIM AND CHERUBIM AND ALL THE GLORIES OF HEAVEN, AND LOOKED ON YOU WITH LOVE, AND BOUND HIMSELF TO YOU, HIS FAVORITE CHILD. BUT WAIT? HOW CAN YOU BE HIS FAVORITE? WHAT ABOUT THE GREAT SAINTS? WHAT ABOUT SO MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE SO MUCH HOLIER THAN YOU AND I WILL EVER BE? BUT THAT’S THE WAY GOD IS, YOU ARE HIS FAVORITE CHILD, AND SO ARE YOU AND SO AM I. AND HE IS WITH YOU, AND HE GIVES YOU THE FREEDOM TO BE GOOD, AND MARY SHOWS US THAT THIS IS POSSIBLE. AND GOD HAS WORDS FOR US AS WELL. WHEN YOU ARE QUIET, WHEN YOU TURN YOUR MIND TO GOD, SOMETIMES YOU FEEL AN IMPULSE TO SOMETHING HEROIC, SOMETHING WONDERFUL, SOMETHING DANGEROUS, BUT ALWAYS, SOMETHING GOOD. AND, AS WITH MARY, OUR MINDS THROW UP EXCUSES. ONCE IN A WHILE, SOMEONE REMEMBERS THAT GOD IS WITH HER, AND CASTS ASIDE THE EXCUSES AND ENTERS INTO THAT GREAT ADVENTURE OF DOING GOD’S WILL. A MOTHER THERESA, A PADRE PIO, A JOHN PAUL. BUT MOST OF THE TIME, THE EXCUSES MAKE SENSE, AND IF WE TURN OUR ATTENTION TO THEM, AND AWAY FROM WHAT GOD IS SAYING TO US, THE MOMENT PASSES, AND WE RETURN TO OUR REGULAR LIVES. BUT GOD WILL CALL YOU AGAIN, AND AGAIN, LEAVING YOU PERFECTLY FREE, BUT ALWAYS HOPING THAT YOU WILL SAY, “DO YOUR WILL TO ME!” AND LET THE CONSEQUENCES FALL WHERE THEY MAY.

AND MARY HERSELF URGES US ON. SHE WHO FREELY CHOSE TO DO GOD’S WILL, SHE WHO WAS READY TO GIVE UP ALL HER PLANS, TO RISK ALL HER RELATIONSHIPS, TO PUT HER TRUST COMPLETELY IN GOD WHO WAS WITH HER, POINTS TO JESUS AND TELLS US AS SHE TOLD THE SERVANTS AT CANA, “DO WHATEVER HE TELLS YOU.”

THERESA OF CALCUTTA SAID THIS PRAYER: “MOTHER MARY, PRAY YOUR FIAT AND MAGNIFICAT IN MY HEART.” LET THAT BE OUR PRAYER AS WELL.

Third Sunday in Advent, Cycle B

JOHN 1: 6-8, 19-28

POPE JOHN XXIII WAS THE POPE WHO CALLED THE CHURCH COUNCIL OF VATICAN II. ONLY THE OLDEST OF US REMEMBER WHEN HE WAS POPE. – HE WAS ELECTED WHEN HE WAS 78, AS SORT OF A COMPROMISE; HE FOLLOWED THE VERY POWERFUL AND LONG-REIGNING POPE PIUS XII, AND THE CHURCH LEADERS SEEMED TO BE SPLIT BETWEEN THOSE WHO WANTED TO DIG IN THEIR HEELS AND RESIST THE MODERN WORLD, AND THOSE WHO WANTED TO COMPLETELY CHANGE THE CHURCH. THAT TENSION IS STILL GOING ON TODAY.
JOHN WAS ELECTED BECAUSE EVERYONE THOUGHT HE WOULD KEEP THE THRONE WARM UNTIL A MORE CREDIBLE LEADER EMERGED, ONE WHO MIGHT BE ACCEPTABLE TO BOTH SIDES. BUT JOHN HAD OTHER PLANS, AND HE HAD SCARCELY MOUNTED HIS THRONE WHEN HE ANNOUNCED THAT THERE WOULD BE A CHURCH COUNCIL. AND NO AMOUNT OF ARGUING COULD DISSUADE HIM FROM THAT PLAN. HE WAS POPE FOR ONLY FOUR AND ONE HALF YEARS, AND ARGUABLY MADE A GREATER IMPACT ON THE CHURCH THAN JOHN PAUL II, OR ANY OTHER POPE IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY.
BUT ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT JOHN XXIII THAT ENDEARED HIM TO EVERYONE WAS THAT HE WAS HUMBLE. HIS HUMILITY SHOWED FOURTH IN HIS HUMOR; HE DIDN’'T TAKE HIMSELF, OR INDEED ANYONE ELSE, SERIOUSLY. HE SAID: “”ANYONE CAN BECOME POPE. I AM LIVING PROOF OF THAT.”” HE SAID: ““IT OFTEN HAPPENS THAT I WAKE UP AT NIGHT AND BEGIN TO THINK ABOUT A SERIOUS PROBLEM AND DECIDE I MUST TELL THE POPE ABOUT IT. THEN I WAKE UP COMPLETELY AND REMEMBER THAT I AM THE POPE.”” HE SAID ONCE WHEN ASKED ABOUT HOW MANY PEOPLE WORKED IN THE VATICAN, “”ABOUT HALF.””
AND ONE STATEMENT I STILL REMEMBER FROM WHEN I READ HIS JOURNAL, PUBLISHED UNDER THE TITLE “JOURNEY OF A SOUL,” WAS THIS: “”MY PRAYER BEFORE I GO TO BED IS “GOD, I’'VE TAKEN CARE OF YOUR CHURCH ALL DAY. I AM NOW GOING TO SLEEP, SO YOU TAKE CARE OF IT TILL I WAKE UP AGAIN.””
ONE THING JOHN KNEW WAS THAT HE WAS NOT THE CHRIST, NOT THE MESSIAH, NOT THE PROPHET, AND CERTAINLY NOT THE LIGHT. AND JOHN THE BAPTIST KNEW THAT ALSO. HOW MANY OF US HAVE REALLY INTERNALIZED THAT? WE CAN CERTAINLY SAY THE RIGHT WORDS; WE CAN SPEAK HUMBLY. BUT IN REALITY I THINK IT IS VERY HARD TO LET GO OF THE IDEA THAT YOU ARE THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE. I KNOW IT IS STILL HARD FOR ME, ALTHOUGH AS I GET OLDER I AM INCREASINGLY REMINDED OF MY LACK OF RELEVANCE, AND MAYBE THAT WILL HELP TEACH ME TRUE HUMILITY. I THINK THIS LESSON IS SOMETIMES LEARNED ONLY TOWARDS THE END OF LIFE. MUCH AS I LOVED JOHN PAUL II, I THINK IT MUST HAVE BEEN HARD FOR HIM TO BE HUMBLE, WITH HIS ASTOUNDING GIFTS AND GREAT POWER; AND MAYBE THAT IS WHY GOD SAW TO IT THAT HE SPENT HIS LAST YEARS BECOMING MORE AND MORE HELPLESS.
GOD WANTS HIS CHILDREN TO LEARN HUMILITY. I DON’T MEAN THAT WE NEED TO BE HUMBLED. HUMILITY IS PART OF WISDOM; IT IS KNOWING, NOT JUST INTELLECTUALLY BUT IN OUR DEEPEST BEING, WHO WE REALLY ARE. AND WHEN WE REALLY KNOW THIS, WE AUTOMATICALLY KNOW THAT GOD IS FIRST, OUR NEIGHBOR IS SECOND, AND WE ARE THIRD. OR PERHAPS WE AND OUR NEIGHBOR ARE TIED FOR SECOND, BECAUSE JESUS TOLD US TO LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR AS OURSELVES, NOT MORE THAN OR LESS THAN OURSELVES. AND YOU WOULD THINK THIS LESSON WOULD BE EASY TO LEARN, BECAUSE WHENEVER WE ARE REMINDED THAT WE ARE FALLIBLE, THAT WE ARE EASY TO INJURE, THAT WE WILL DIE, THERE IS THE LESSON. BUT WE DON’T WANT TO LEARN THIS LESSON; OUR WHOLE LIVES ARE ATTEMPTS TO PROTECT US FROM THINKING ABOUT THESE THINGS. AND THE BETTER WE GET AT IGNORING THE REMINDERS OF OUR TRUE PLACE IN GOD’'S ORDER, THE MORE WE IGNORE GOD HIMSELF.
WHAT IS FIRST IN YOUR LIFE? THAT’S EASY TO TELL. WHATEVER YOU DO WHEN YOU HAVE TIME ON YOUR HANDS. SOME PEOPLE TAKE THEIR WORK HOME WITH THEM EVERY NIGHT. OTHERS SPEND TWO OR THREE HOURS WATCHING TELEVISION OR SURFING THE NET. STILL OTHERS ARE IMMERSED IN SPORTS, OR POLITICS, OR PERHAPS EVEN THE ARTS. NOW THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH ANY OF THESE THINGS, BUT THE DANGER IS THAT NOT ONLY DO THEY HAVE THE POTENTIAL OF INTERFERING WITH OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD, BUT THEY ALL SORT OF PRESUPPOSE THAT MY NEEDS, MY WANTS, MY PLEASURES COME FIRST; AND THEREFORE I COME FIRST.
JOHN THE BAPTIST DID NOT GET TO THE POINT WHERE HE COULD SAY, “”I AM BUT A VOICE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS”,” OVERNIGHT. HE CAME OUT OF THE DESERT, WHERE UNDOUBTEDLY HE HAD FASTED AND PRAYED, MAYBE FOR YEARS. AND ONLY WHEN HE HAD TRULY LEARNED HUMILITY WAS HE GIVEN HIS GREAT MISSION -- – KIND OF LIKE JOHN XXIII.
HOW DO WE PUT GOD FIRST? I THINK WE ALL WANT TO, BUT WE SEE THAT IT REQUIRES CHANGE, AND THAT IS SCARY. BUT THAT WAS THE MESSAGE OF JOHN: “REPENT”-- CHANGE YOUR HEARTS, GET OUT OF YOUR RUT, PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD.
HERE ARE SOME PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. LOOK AT YOUR DAY, AND FIND A LITTLE TIME TO TURN TO GOD. TEN MINUTES OF PRAYER OR SPIRITUAL READING. WILL THAT KILL YOU? LOOK AT YOUR WEEK, AND FIND SOMETHING, BESIDES SUNDAY MASS, TO REMIND YOU THAT GOD COMES FIRST. MAYBE A BIBLE STUDY? OR A PRAYER GROUP? LOOK AT YOUR MONTH, AND SEE IF THERE'’S SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN DO FOR AN HOUR OR TWO FOR GOD. LEARNING TO PUT GOD FIRST TAKES A LIFE-TIME, I KNOW. I'’M NOT THERE YET. BUT WE HAVE TO START SOMEWHERE.
BECAUSE YOU AND I ARE JUST LIKE JOHN THE BAPTIST. WE ARE NOT THE LIGHT, WE ARE NOT THE MESSIAH, WE ARE NOT ELIJAH, AND WE ARE NOT THE PROPHET. BUT WHAT WE ARE HAS GREAT DIGNITY. JESUS SAID OF JOHN “AMEN, I SAY TO YOU, AMONG THOSE BORN OF WOMEN THERE HAS BEEN NONE GREATER THAN JOHN THE BAPTIST; YET THE LEAST IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS GREATER THAN HE.” AND OUR GREATNESS, LIKE JOHN'S, HAS TO DO WITH HOW WE PREPARE FOR THE COMING OF THE KING.

Second Sunday in Advent, Cycle B

MARK 1:1-8

BEFORE JOAN AND I GOT OLD AND STARTED HAVING THANKSGIVING DINNER WITH OUR DAUGHTER, WE WOULD PUT THE WHOLE FEAST ON OURSELVES, AND THERE WOULD USUALLY BE A LOT OF HUNGRY PEOPLE. I REMEMBER ONE TIME WE HAD ALL OUR KIDS, TOGETHER WITH THEIR COUSINS, AND THERE WAS A BOYFRIEND OR TWO IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY. OUR TRADITION FOR THANKSGIVING WAS TO GET UP EARLY AND GO TO MASS, BECAUSE AFTER ALL, THAT'S WHAT THE WORD “EUCHARIST” MEANS – GIVING THANKS – AND THEN WE WOULD HAVE A VERY LIGHT BREAKFAST. WE WOULD GO OUT AND RAKE LEAVES, OR BICYCLE SOMEWHERE, OR PLAY TOUCH FOOTBALL, OR TAKE A LONG, REALLY LONG, WALK. THE WHOLE IDEA WAS THAT WE WOULD APPROACH THANKSGIVING SUPPER WITH VERY HEARTY APPETITES, AND WITH REALLY GOOD APPETITES, WE WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE THAT SUPPER.

IF WE ARE HUNGRY, FOOD TASTES BETTER; IF WE ARE THIRSTY, A COLD GLASS OF WATER IS LIKE A FINE WINE. IF WE ARE TIRED FROM A HARD DAY'S WORK, OUR BED BECOMES A LUXURY. THE MORE WE ARE DEPRIVED OF SOMETHING, THE MORE WONDERFUL IT FEELS TO FINALLY GET IT. WE HUMAN BEINGS ARE PHYSICAL CREATURES; WE NOT ONLY HAVE BODIES, WE ARE BODIES, AND EVERYTHING WE DO, PHYSICAL, MENTAL, EMOTIONAL, SPIRITUAL, INVOLVES OUR BODIES, AND IN TURN OUR BODIES INFLUENCE EVERYTHING IN ALL OF THESE REALMS. OUR 2000 YEAR OLD CHURCH KNOWS THIS, AND THAT'S WHY WE HAVE THE VARIOUS SEASONS OF THE LITURGICAL YEAR. THE SEASON OF ADVENT IS THERE TO HELP US LONG FOR THE COMING OF OUR LORD.

LISTEN TO THE READINGS THIS SUNDAY. THEY ARE ALL ABOUT WAITING, WAITING FOR GOD TO COME AND FILL UP OUR EMPTINESS. IN THE FIRST READING, THE PROPHET IMAGINES WHAT IT WILL BE LIKE WHEN GOD FINALLY RETURNS TO RESCUE HIS PEOPLE; GOD WILL BE LIKE A SHEPHERD, NURTURING, GUARDING, AND GUIDING HIS PEOPLE. IN THE SECOND READING, PETER ADDRESSES HIS DISCOURAGED FLOCK; THEY ARE UNDERGOING PERSECUTION AND THE FUTURE LOOKS BLEAK; AND WHERE IS THIS SECOND COMING ANYWAY? PETER SAYS, KEEP WAITING; IMAGINE THAT TIME WHEN THERE WILL BE A NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH, AND EVERYTHING YOU ARE GOING THROUGH WILL BE WORTH IT. AND JOHN IN THE GOSPEL PROMISES THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE COME OUT TO SEE HIM THAT THEIR WAIT IS NEARLY OVER, THE ONE THEY HAVE EXPECTED IS ALMOST HERE.

WAITING DOES TWO THINGS. OF COURSE IT MAKES WHAT WE ARE WAITING FOR MORE WONDERFUL, MORE FULFILLING, MORE DELIGHTFUL. THOSE FIRST DAYS OF SPRING AFTER A COLD SNOWY WINTER ARE ALMOST MAGICAL; BUT A WEEK LATER, NOT SO MUCH. AND IF WE HAD THAT TURKEY DINNER FIRST THING ON THANKSGIVING MORNING, IT PROBABLY WOULDN'T TASTE VERY GOOD. BUT WAITING MAKES US DESIRE THE OBJECT OF OUR WAITING, MORE AND MORE, THE LONGER WE WAIT. AND HERE'S ANOTHER THING. WAITING IS ACTIVE, NOT PASSIVE. IF SOMEONE TELLS ME THAT THERE WON'T BE A THANKSGIVING SUPPER THIS YEAR, I CAN'T WAIT FOR IT, CAN I? AND MY ATTENTION WILL TURN AWAY AND I'LL FORGET ABOUT IT.

ADVENT REMINDS US THAT WE ARE IN A STATE OF WAITING, BECAUSE WE FORGET IT SOMETIMES. WE STRUGGLE TO MAKE OUR ORDINARY LIVES AS PLEASANT AND COMFORTABLE AS THEY CAN BE, AND THAT DISTRACTS US FROM THE WAITING.

WOULDN'T IT BE WONDERFUL IF THERE WAS SOMETHING WE COULD DO TO SHORTEN OUR WAITING, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE ARE WAITING FOR SOMETHING WONDERFUL? IT APPEARS THAT WE CAN. PETER TELLS US THAT CONDUCTING OURSELVES WITH HOLINESS AND DEVOTION HASTENS THE COMING OF THE LORD.

IF YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN, YOU SHOULD SPEND A LITTLE TIME NOW AND THEN IMAGINING HOW THINGS WILL BE WHEN THE LORD COMES AGAIN. THERE ARE PLENTY OF HINTS IN SCRIPTURE, BUT THEY ARE VAGUE AND USUALLY SYMBOLIC. THE LORD WILL COME WITH TRUMPET BLASTS FROM THE SKY, ACCOMPANIED BY ANGELS; CROOKED WAYS WILL BE MADE STRAIGHT AND MOUNTAINS WILL BE LEVELED TO FILL IN THE VALLEYS; THE FAITHFUL WILL NEED NO LAMP OR SUN, BECAUSE GOD WILL BE THE LIGHT FOR THE NEW JERUSALEM. BUT WHILE THESE IMAGES HINT AT WHAT IT MIGHT BE LIKE, MARY OUR MOTHER ASSURES US THAT THE PROUD WILL BE BROUGHT DOWN, THE LOWLY WILL BE ELEVATED; JESUS TELLS US THAT THE SORROWING WILL BE COMFORTED, THOSE WHO HUNGER FOR JUSTICE WILL FINALLY BE SATISFIED.

IF YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN, YOU SHOULD DEVELOP A CLEAR PICTURE OF HOW IT SHOULD BE, HOW IT WILL BE, WHEN JESUS COMES AGAIN. AND EVERY TIME YOU SEE SOMEONE IN PAIN, SOMEONE STARVING; WHENEVER YOU SEE PEOPLE BEING MARGINALIZED BECAUSE OF THEIR LANGUAGE OR THEIR COLOR OR THEIR PLACE OF ORIGIN; YOU SHOULD LONG TO HASTEN THE LORD'S COMING – AND YOU CAN DO IT BY DOING SOMETHING ABOUT WHAT YOU SEE.

IF YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN, THE MORE YOU IMAGINE THE COMING OF THE LORD, AND ALL THE WONDERFUL THINGS HE WILL BRING WITH HIM, THE MORE YOU WILL LONG FOR THAT TIME. AND IF YOU LONG FOR THE COMING OF THE LORD, IF YOUR WAITING IS ACTIVE WAITING, IF YOU ARE GOING ABOUT FILLING UP THE VALLEYS AND LEVELING THE MOUNTAINS AND MAKING CROOKED WAYS STRAIGHT, THE TIME OF WAITING WILL PASS SWIFTLY, AND YOU WILL BE READY WHEN HE COMES AGAIN.

First Sunday of Advent, cycle B

MARK 13:33-37
     RECENTLY WE HAD TOM MONAGHAN AS A SPEAKER AT OUR SAINT JOSEPH SOCIETY BREAKFAST. AS THOSE OF YOU WHO WERE THERE KNOW, HE FOUNDED THE DOMINO'S PIZZA CHAIN, OWNED THE DETROIT TIGERS BASEBALL TEAM FOR A WHILE, FOUNDED THE AVE MARIA SCHOOL OF LAW, FOUNDED THE LEGATUS SOCIETY FOR CATHOLIC BUSINESSMEN, AND HIS MOST RECENT PROJECT IS THE CREATION OF THE AVE MARIA UNIVERSITY IN FLORIDA, TOGETHER WITH A PLANNED COMMUNITY AROUND IT. IT IMPRESSED ME THAT WHEN HE WAS IN HIS EARLY TWENTY'S, HE SET HIMSELF FIVE GOALS. THE FIFTH WAS FINANCIAL; HE WANTED TO MAKE MONEY BECAUSE HE KNEW THAT THAT GAVE HIM FREEDOM TO ACHIEVE HIS DREAMS. THE FOURTH WAS PHYSICAL FITNESS; HE WANTED TO BE AS HEALTHY AS POSSIBLE BECAUSE HE KNEW THAT YOU CAN'T DO MUCH IF YOU ARE SICK; THE THIRD WAS MENTAL DEVELOPMENT; HE WANTED TO USE THE MIND GOD HAD GIVEN HIM TO THE FULLEST, WHICH MEANT READING AND STUDYING; THE SECOND WAS THAT HE WANTED TO BE A GOOD PERSON – TO PRACTICE THE GOLDEN RULE, TO BE A CONSCIENTIOUS HUSBAND AND FATHER AND EMPLOYER AND FRIEND. MR. MONAGHAN KNEW THAT SETTING THESE GOALS WAS NOT ENOUGH; YOU HAVE TO PULL THEM OUT ONCE IN A WHILE AND SEE WHETHER YOU ARE GETTING THERE. IN HIS BIOGRAPHY, HE DESCRIBES THIS PROCESS – NEVER EASY! BUT HE'S NOW 74 YEARS OLD, DOES ABOUT 200 PUSH-UPS AND A SIX MILE RUN FOUR DAYS A WEEK; IS ALWAYS WORKING HIS WAY THROUGH SOME BOOK OR ANOTHER; AND OF COURSE HE'S SUCCESSFUL, AND HE'S GIVING BACK TO THE WORLD MORE THAN HE'S TAKEN OUT OF IT, I GUESS. AND HE IS THE FIRST TO ADMIT THAT HE HASN'T ACHIEVED ALL HIS GOALS; SOME HE'S GOTTEN CLOSER TO THAN OTHERS.
      IF YOU'VE BEEN PAYING ATTENTION, YOU MAY NOTICE THAT I DIDN'T GET TO THE FIRST GOAL. MR. MONAGHAN MAKES NO SECRET OF THAT, EITHER IN HIS BIOGRAPHY OR IN HIS REMARKS TO US AT THE ST JOSEPH SOCIETY BREAKFAST. GOAL NUMBER ONE IS TO GET TO HEAVEN. TODAY JESUS REMINDS US THAT TIME IS RUNNING OUT. WILL YOU BE HERE TOMORROW? WILL I? WHEN YOU HEAR THE NEWS, MOST OF IT BAD; WHEN YOU READ THAT GLOBAL WARMING IS WORSE THAN WE THOUGHT AND THAT OUR FINANCIAL SITUATION AS A COUNTRY IS PRACTICALLY UNFIXABLE; WHEN YOU READ THAT THE MUSLIM WORLD IS FALLING APART AND BREEDING EVEN MORE TERRORISTS, OR THAT THE COUNTRY OF CHINA HOLDS THE SECOND LARGEST AMOUNT OF OUR DEBT – AND YOU REALLY THINK ABOUT IT, IT ISN'T JUST THAT OUR LIVES ARE FRAGILE, OUR WAY OF LIFE IS FRAGILE AS WELL. AS WE ALL LEARNED A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, THINGS CAN CHANGE IN A HEARTBEAT, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN WE DON'T HAVE HOT WATER OR LIGHT OR HEAT, AND IN OUR CASE, NO PHONES.
     SO JESUS, AT THE BEGINNING OF ADVENT, WARNS US TO BE PREPARED. I THINK ATTENTION TO TOM MONAGHAN'S FIVE GOALS IS A REALLY GOOD WAY TO FOLLOW JESUS' ADVICE, ESPECIALLY GOAL NUMBER 1. MR. MONAGHAN ASKED US IF WE KNEW WHAT WE NEEDED TO DO TO GET TO HEAVEN. WE MUMBLED A FEW ANSWERS, MOST OF WHICH HAD TO DO WITH BEING A GOOD PERSON. BUT HE POINTED OUT TO US THAT THE CATHOLIC CHURCH HAS A VERY SPECIFIC ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION, AND IT ISN'T BEING A GOOD PERSON, OR GOING TO CHURCH ON SUNDAY, OR TAKING CARE OF THE SICK AND THE POOR. THE CHURCH TELLS US THAT TO GET INTO HEAVEN YOU HAVE TO DIE IN THE STATE OF SANCTIFYING GRACE. HOW DO YOU KNOW YOU ARE IN THAT STATE?
     MARTIN LUTHER SEPARATED HIMSELF FROM THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, AND MOST OF THE TIME HE PROBABLY BELIEVED HE WAS DOING THE RIGHT THING. BUT IN THE LATER PART OF HIS LIFE, HE WOULD CALL SOME OF HIS SUBORDINATES IN TO SPEAK TO HIM AND ASSURE HIM THAT HE WAS GOING TO HEAVEN. EVEN IN HIS OLD AGE, DOUBTS AROSE, AND COMFORTING WORDS NEEDED TO BE SAID TO REMOVE THE DOUBT, FOR A WHILE.
     AND AMONG THE FOLLOWERS OF CALVIN, THE DOCTRINE OF PREDESTINATION WAS ELABORATED. THIS MEANT THAT EVERYONE DESERVED TO GO TO HELL, BUT GOD, FOR REASONS WHICH ONLY GOD KNOWS, DECIDED TO SAVE SOME. AND YOU AND I CAN'T DO A THING ABOUT IT. THAT MAY SOUND VERY HARSH TO OUR EARS, BUT IT IS QUITE LIBERATING AS WELL, BECAUSE IT BASICALLY SAYS THAT WE CAN'T DO A THING ABOUT OUR FUTURE EXISTENCE. BUT IT BECAME WIDELY BELIEVED THAT IF GOD SMILED ON YOU IN THE NEXT LIFE, HE DID SO IN THIS LIFE AS WELL, AND THE MORE PROSPEROUS YOU WERE, THE MORE LIKELY YOU WERE DESTINED FOR HEAVEN.
     BUT THE CATHOLIC CHURCH HAS ALWAYS HELD THAT NOT ONLY CAN WE BE ASSURED OF OUR ETERNAL DESTINY – WE NEED TO BE IN THE STATE OF SANCTIFYING GRACE – BUT WE CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. ALL WE NEED TO DO IS MAKE A GOOD CONFESSION TO A PRIEST AND RECEIVE ABSOLUTION, AND WE ARE IN THE STATE OF GRACE, AT LEAST TILL THE NEXT TIME WE COMMIT A SERIOUS SIN. SOUNDS SIMPLE, DOESN'T IT? OF COURSE IT'S NOT THAT SIMPLE. WHEN WE SIN, IT'S LIKE CATCHING A VIRUS THAT WORKS ON OUR MINDS AND PERSUADES US THAT WE DON'T NEED TO GO TO CONFESSION. AFTER ALL, DOESN'T GOD FORGIVE US PRIVATELY IF WE ASK? AFTER ALL, CAN A PRIEST, WHO IS A SINNER HIMSELF, REALLY STAND IN FOR JESUS? AFTER ALL, MY MOST SERIOUS UNCONFESSED SINS HAPPENED A LONG TIME AGO, AND AREN'T REALLY IMPORTANT ANYMORE. ALL THESE EXCUSES POP UP BECAUSE OF THE INFECTION OF SIN; THE ONLY ANTIBIOTIC IS THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE.
     BUT TO MAKE A GOOD CONFESSION ISN'T SOME KIND OF MAGICAL RITE; IT ISN'T ENOUGH TO JUST GO THROUGH THE MOTIONS; WE REALLY HAVE TO KNOW OUR SINS, WE REALLY HAVE TO REGRET HAVING COMMITTED THEM, AND WE REALLY HAVE TO LEAVE THAT CONFESSIONAL WITH THE INTENTION OF AVOIDING THOSE SINS AND EVEN THE OCCASIONS OF THOSE SINS IN THE FUTURE, AS FAR AS WE ARE ABLE. OUR CONFESSOR IS OBJECTIVE, AND CAN HELP US WITH THIS. THAT'S WHY HE'S THERE, BECAUSE THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT JESUS DID WHEN HE FORGAVE SINNERS. AS HE TOLD THE WOMAN CAUGHT IN ADULTERY, “GO AND DO THIS SIN NO MORE.” MAKING A GOOD CONFESSION IS NOT A MOMENTARY EVENT, IT STRETCHES OUT FROM ONE CONFESSION TO THE NEXT, AND EACH TIME WE RECEIVE GOD'S HELP TO CHIP AWAY AT OUR STONY HEARTS UNTIL THEY BEGIN TO RESEMBLE THE HEART OF JESUS.
     ARE YOU READY? DO THE WORDS OF JESUS TODAY MEAN ANYTHING TO YOU AND I? F THEY DO, WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE YOUR NEXT CONFESSION? TIME IS RUNNING OUT, AND A TIME WILL COME WHEN THERE WON'T BE ANOTHER CHANCE. IF YOU DIE IN THE STATE OF GRACE, YOU WILL GO TO HEAVEN. IF YOU DON'T, YOU WON'T.

Feast of Christ the King, Cycle A

MATTHEW 25:31-46
IN A DISCUSSION IN ONE OF OUR DEACON CLASSES, ONE OF MY BROTHERS, WHO PASSED AWAY ONLY A FEW YEARS AFTER ORDINATION, TOLD US THIS STORY: HE WAS IN THE MALL UP IN HOLYOKE. AN AFRICAN AMERICAN MAN WHO WAS POORLY DRESSED AND POORLY GROOMED CAME UP TO HIM AND ASKED HIM TO BORROW ENOUGH MONEY TO TAKE THE BUS TO VERMONT, WHERE HE SAID HE LIVED. HE HAD BEEN RIDING THE BUS FROM ALABAMA, WHERE HE HAD GONE TO VISIT HIS AGING MOTHER. HE'D LOST HIS WALLET SOMEWHERE, AND NEEDED TO GET HOME. THE BUS FARE WAS ABOUT 40 DOLLARS. THE QUESTION MY BROTHER POSED WAS, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR RESPONSE? WE DEACON CANDIDATES GAVE A VARIETY OF RESPONSES. ON ONE EXTREME WAS THE FLAT REFUSAL TO HELP, ON THE GROUNDS THAT THIS SOUNDED FISHY. ANOTHER WAS TO OFFER THE MAN A MEAL, SINCE IF HE HAD NO MONEY, HE WAS PROBABLY HUNGRY; BUT NOT TO GIVE HIM MONEY. ANOTHER WAS THE OFFER TO DRIVE THE MAN TO THE BUS STATION AND BUY THE TICKET FOR HIM; IF HE REALLY WANTED TO GO TO VERMONT, HE'D GO ALONG WITH IT; BUT IF HE JUST WAS LOOKING FOR A HANDOUT, HE'D PROBABLY MOVE ON TO THE NEXT LIKELY VICTIM. AFTER WE'D ALL WEIGHED IN WITH OUR ANSWERS, MY BROTHER TOLD US HIS RESPONSE: HE'D GIVEN THE MAN THE BUS FARE PLUS A LITTLE EXTRA. THE MAN TOOK DOWN HIS ADDRESS AND PROMISED TO REPAY THE MONEY.
AT THAT POINT WE ALL FELT VERY SUPERIOR; WE WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SUCKERED INTO THAT, NO WAY. AND WE GAVE OUR ARGUMENTS, ALL OF WHICH IN RETROSPECT WERE RELATED TO THE FACT THAT THE MAN WAS AFRICAN AMERICAN, POORLY CLOTHED, OBVIOUSLY UNWASHED, AND HOW MANY AFRICAN AMERICANS LIVE IN VERMONT, ANYWAY? WE WANTED TO BE CHARITABLE, BUT ONLY UNDER OUR TERMS.
AND THEN MY BROTHER TOLD US THAT A FEW DAYS AFTER THIS EVENT, HE RECEIVED A REGISTERED LETTER CONTAINING THE AMOUNT HE HAD LOANED THE MAN, ALONG WITH A HEARTFELT THANK-YOU NOTE, POINTING OUT THAT HE HAD APPROACHED TWENTY OR THIRTY PEOPLE AND SPENT THE WHOLE DAY LOOKING FOR ENOUGH MONEY TO GET HOME; AND EVERYONE TURNED HIM DOWN; AND HE WAS SO GRATEFUL TO MY BROTHER FOR TRUSTING HIM.
TODAY WE HEAR ABOUT THE SHEEP AND THE GOATS, ABOUT JUDGMENT. AND WE LEARN THAT JESUS DOESN'T EVEN MENTION WHAT YOU BELIEVE OR HOW OFTEN YOU PRAY, OR FOR THAT MATTER, WHAT SORT OF SINS YOU ARE GUILTY OF. THE ONLY THING THAT SEPARATES THE SHEEP FROM THE GOATS IS WHETHER THEY HAVE REACHED OUT TO THE LEAST OF THEIR BROTHERS IN CHARITY. WHAT YOU DO OR DON'T DO FOR THEM, YOU DO OR DON'T DO FOR JESUS, IT'S AS SIMPLE AS THAT.
DON'T GET ME WRONG, BELIEF IS IMPORTANT, PRAYER IS IMPORTANT, BEING IN A STATE OF GRACE IS IMPORTANT. BUT THESE ARE IMPORTANT INSOFAR AS THEY HELP US TO BE MORE GENEROUS, TO GIVE OF OURSELVES TO OTHERS; BUT ALSO, TO MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICES WHEN WE DO SO. EVEN WHEN WE ARE CHARITABLE, WE CAN CAUSE MORE HARM THAN GOOD. THE BOY SCOUT WHO INSISTS ON HELPING THE OLD LADY ACROSS THE STREET, EVEN WHEN SHE ISN'T PLANNING TO CROSS THE STREET, IS THE CLASSIC EXAMPLE.
BUT THERE IS ANOTHER LESSON IN THIS GOSPEL STORY, AN INDIRECT ONE. THAT HAS TO DO WITH JUDGMENT, YOURS AND MINE. IN THE STORY I TOLD YOU, ALL OF US HAD MADE A JUDGMENT OF THE PERSON DESCRIBED BY MY BROTHER, AND THAT JUDGMENT SAT AT THE BASIS OF OUR RESPONSE TO HIS NEED. WE HAD JUDGED HIM AS DISHONEST, AS UNTRUSTWORTHY; MAYBE WE HAD JUDGED HIM AS TOO LAZY TO WORK. AND WHEN WE HAD FIGURED OUT WHAT WE THOUGHT OF HIM, WE MADE OUR CHARITABLE ACT OR LACK OF CHARITY BASED UPON THAT IMPRESSION. MY BROTHER, ON THE OTHER HAND, MADE NO SUCH JUDGMENT; PERHAPS THAT'S WHY GOD CALLED HIM HOME SO SOON AFTER HE WAS ORDAINED A DEACON.
IN THE GOSPEL STORY, JESUS TELLS US TWO THINGS ABOUT JUDGMENT; FIRST, THAT WE WON'T GO WRONG BY CHOOSING NOT TO JUDGE THOSE WE HELP. IF WE MEET SOMEONE WHO SEEMS TO BE IN NEED, THEN OUR RESPONSE AS CHRISTIANS IS TO ASSUME THAT THINGS ARE AS THEY APPEAR TO BE. A GREAT MAN ONCE GAVE A SIZABLE AMOUNT TO A BEGGAR ON THE STREET. HIS FRIEND OBSERVED THAT IN ALL LIKELIHOOD, THE MONEY WAS GOING TO BUY LIQUOR AND NOT FOOD. THE MAN REPLIED, “I DID NOT GIVE HIM MONEY TO BUY FOOD OR TO NOT BUY LIQUOR. I GAVE HIM MONEY BECAUSE I AM A CHRISTIAN.” THE SECOND POINT IS THAT WE HAVE NO BUSINESS JUDGING ANYWAY. THAT IS RESERVED FOR THE LAST DAYS, FOR THE RETURN OF THE KING. ONLY HE WILL HAVE ENOUGH INFORMATION TO DECIDE WHO IS A SHEEP AND WHO IS A GOAT. EVERY TIME WE MAKE A JUDGMENT ABOUT A OTHER PERSON, EVEN WHEN IT SEEMS AS THOUGH THAT JUDGMENT IS GREATLY JUSTIFIED, WE ARE TAKING THE ROLE THAT BELONGS ONLY TO GOD.
THE STORY IS TOLD ABOUT MOTHER THERESA AND HER NUNS, WHO WERE INVITED TO ADDRESS A CONFERENCE ON POVERTY. DELEGATES FROM ALL OVER INDIA FILED INTO THE HALL IN CALCUTTA, AND WAITED TO HEAR FROM THIS FAMOUS ADVOCATE OF THE POOR. BUT THE TIME CAME AND WENT, AND EVENTUALLY IT WAS APPARENT THAT SHE WAS NOT GOING TO SHOW UP. AS THEY LEFT THE BUILDING, THEY NOTICED THAT THE NUNS WERE ATTENDING TO THE BEGGARS ON THE STREET OUTSIDE THE HALL, THE SAME ONES THAT THE DELEGATES HAD STEPPED OVER AND AROUND ON THEIR WAY TO THE CONFERENCE.
IF YOU ARE LIKE ME, YOU ARE CONSTANTLY MAKING JUDGMENTS ABOUT PEOPLE. I THINK IT'S NATURAL; IN THE 100,000 YEARS WE WERE LIVING IN TRIBES IN AFRICA, IT WAS A PROTECTIVE MECHANISM. BUT AS IN SO MANY THINGS, JESUS CALLS US TO EVOLVE A LITTLE FURTHER; IN HIS OWN TIME, HE TREATED EACH PERSON HE MET AS AN INDIVIDUAL, WHETHER A PROSTITUTE, A TAX COLLECTOR, OR A ROMAN SOLDIER. EVEN WHEN HE IS POINTING OUT SOMEONE'S FAULTS, HE IS CAREFUL TO RESPECT THE PERSON; AND HE NEVER SENDS ANYONE AWAY WHO COMES TO HIM. AND THE FACT THAT HE DID NOT JUDGE SET HIM APART IN A DAY WHEN MOST PEOPLE JUDGED THE WORTH OF A PERSON BY HIS RELIGION, HIS GENDER, EVEN THE CLOTHING HE WORE. AND A WORD OF WARNING: IF YOU CHOOSE TO LIVE THIS WAY, YOU DO RISK CRUCIFIXION.
WHEN MY BROTHER TOLD US THE STORY OF THE MAN WHO NEEDED TO BUY A BUS TICKET, I THINK ALL OF US HAD THE SAME REACTION: WE WERE A LITTLE ANGRY AT MY BROTHER – BECAUSE HE HAD SHOWN US THE CHRISTIAN RESPONSE TO SOMEONE'S NEED. AND MAYBE IF HE HAD KEPT DOING THAT OVER AND OVER AGAIN, WE MIGHT HAVE FELT LIKE CRUCIFYING HIM, ALTHOUGH IT WASN'T ALLOWED IN THE DEACON FORMATION PROGRAM.
WHEN WE JUDGE OTHER PEOPLE, WE NECESSARILY TAKE AWAY THEIR HUMANITY IN OUR EYES. THIS HAPPENS EVEN WHEN WE CATEGORIZE THEM AS RICH OR HOLY OR THE SALT OF THE EARTH. WHEN WE JUDGE, WE THROW UP A BARRIER SO THAT IT IS HARDER TO GET TO THE REAL PERSON WHO IS THERE; AND WHEN WE JUDGE SOMEONE WHO IS POOR, DISHEVELED, PERHAPS THE WRONG COLOR, OR SPEAKING THE WRONG LANGUAGE, OR GOING TO THE WRONG CHURCH, WHAT WE DO FOR THEM IS NOT CHARITY, BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T COME TO KNOW THEM.
SO THIS WEEK LET'S EXAMINE HOW INSTINCTIVELY WE JUDGE OTHERS; AND START TO ERADICATE THAT FROM OUR LIVES; LET US REMEMBER THAT JUDGMENT IS RESERVED FOR THE GREAT KING AT THE END OF TIME.

Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

MATTHEW 25:14-30
AT THE END OF DECEMBER, I WILL BE OFFICIALLY RETIRING FROM MY PROFESSION. IT'S ABOUT TIME; I'M 69 AND THE LITTLE SIGNS OF DETERIORATION IN MY MIND AND BODY ARE GETTING BIGGER. AND OF COURSE I'M HAPPY ABOUT IT – BUT PART OF ME IS VERY NERVOUS. I'VE SPENT MY WHOLE ADULT LIFE DOING MEDICINE – PATIENT CARE, RESEARCH, TEACHING, ADMINISTRATING – AND IT'S BEEN WONDERFULLY REWARDING AND FULFILLING. BUT ON JANUARY 1ST, I WILL GIVE IT ALL UP. SOME TIME IN MY FORTIES I REMEMBER LOOKING FORWARD TO A TIME WHEN I WOULDN'T HAVE TO BE ON CALL, WHEN I WOULDN'T HAVE TO TELL ANOTHER PATIENT THAT HE OR SHE WAS GOING TO DIE, WHEN I WOULDN'T HAVE TO GIVE BAD NEWS TO A GRIEVING WIDOW. I LOOKED FORWARD TO THE DAY WHEN I WOULDN'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THE BUDGET OF MY DIVISION, AND WHAT I COULD DO TO IMPROVE THE FISCAL OUTLOOK. I LOOKED FORWARD TO NOT HAVING TO MEDIATE DISAGREEMENTS AND TELL PEOPLE THAT THINGS WEREN'T WORKING OUT, THEY SHOULD LOOK FOR ANOTHER JOB. SO WHY AM I ANXIOUS? WHAT HAS CHANGED?
TODAY JESUS TALKS ABOUT THREE SERVANTS; TWO TAKE THE MONEY HE HAS GIVEN THEM – AND THESE ARE SIZABLE AMOUNTS, BY THE WAY – A TALENT WAS ABOUT WHAT AN AVERAGE PERSON EARNED IN A YEAR – AND THEY HAD DOUBLED WHAT HE HAD GIVEN THEM. AND THE THIRD HAD BURIED HIS IN THE GROUND, FEARING THAT IF HE LOST THE MONEY, THINGS WOULD GO HARD WITH HIM. AND THE TWO ARE REWARDED, AND THE ONE IS PUNISHED. BUT THAT'S THE FUNNY THING ABOUT THIS PARABLE: THE TWO WHO ARE REWARDED ARE GIVEN GREATER RESPONSIBILITIES. YOU THOUGHT MANAGING TEN TALENTS WAS HARD? I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU A LOT MORE TO MANAGE. ST. LUKE, IN TELLING THIS SAME STORY, SAYS THAT THE TWO WHO WERE REWARDED WERE GIVEN TEN AND FOUR VILLAGES TO OVERSEE; THAT MEANT THAT THEY HAD TO MAKE SURE THE PEOPLE WERE SAFE, AND THAT THE PRODUCTION OF THE VILLAGE WAS ENOUGH TO KEEP THE VILLAGERS FED AND GIVE SOME OF THE SURPLUS TO THE MASTER. THEY WOULD ALSO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR KEEPING THE PEACE, MEDIATING DISAGREEMENTS – ALL THOSE THINGS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO A WELL TUNED ORGANIZATION. JESUS SEEMS TO IMPLY THAT THE REWARD FOR DOING SOMETHING WELL IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO EVEN MORE WELL. AND LOOK AT THE MAN WHO IS PUNISHED. HE IS CALLED “USELESS” AND CAST OUT INTO THE DARKNESS. HE HAS NOTHING TO DO. HE IS OUT OF THE LOOP. AND JESUS SEEMS TO IMPLY THAT HAVING NOTHING TO DO, HAVING NO PURPOSE, IS THE EQUIVALENT OF HELL.
ONE OF MY OLD MENTORS IS A PHYSICIAN WHO IS ABOUT 86 NOW. HE HAS NEVER STOPPED WORKING. HE WORKED WHILE HE WAS RECEIVING CONTINUOUS ANTIBIOTICS THROUGH AN INTRAVENOUS LINE FOR AN INFECTION AFTER A MAJOR OPERATION. HE DOESN'T SEE PATIENTS ANYMORE, BECAUSE HE'S NOT SURE HE'LL BE ALIVE TOMORROW; BUT HE DOES DO RESEARCH, AND HE CONTINUES TO MENTOR YOUNG PHYSICIANS AND SCIENTISTS. AND HE RADIATES HAPPINESS. AND I COULD DESCRIBE ANOTHER PHYSICIAN WHO RETIRED PRECISELY AT 62, HAVING AMASSED A SMALL FORTUNE. ALL THE TIME I KNEW HIM, HE COULDN'T WAIT TO GET OUT OF MEDICINE AND ENJOY LIFE. AND THE LAST TIME I MET HIM, HE TOLD ME THAT RETIREMENT STINKS, BUT SO DID WORKING. HE DOESN'T RADIATE HAPPINESS.
WE CHRISTIANS RECOGNIZE THAT WE ARE GIVEN TALENTS, SOME MORE, SOME LESS. WE RECOGNIZE THAT AS CHRISTIANS THERE IS MORE DEMANDED OF US THAN OUR NON-CHRISTIAN CONTEMPORARIES; GOD EXPECTS THEM TO USE THEIR TALENTS WISELY, OF COURSE; BUT THE EXPLICIT EXPECTATION OF A CHRISTIAN IS THAT THE TALENTS BE USED AT LEAST IN PART OF THE GOOD OF OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS. AND MAYBE THAT'S WHAT BOTHERS ME. AS A PHYSICIAN, I WAS PAID WELL. BUT I KNEW THAT ALMOST ANYTHING I DID AS A PHYSICIAN WAS SERVICE TO OTHERS. AND I CAME TO RECOGNIZE THAT THOSE MOMENTS WHEN I WAS ACTIVELY GIVING MYSELF TO ANOTHER PERSON WERE PRECIOUS, AND I WANTED TO DO EVEN MORE. AND IT WAS NOT TOO HARD BECAUSE OVER TIME I HAD THE RIGHT HABITS, I HAD THE KNOWLEDGE BASE, AND WHEN I WENT INTO THE CLINIC OR THE HOSPITAL, I WAS ON FAMILIAR GROUND.
I BECAME A DEACON, I THINK, LARGELY BECAUSE I WAS LOOKING FOR MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE. AND AS I RETIRE FROM MEDICINE, I HOPE THAT THERE WILL BE MORE OPPORTUNITIES. BECAUSE I STILL HAVE A LOT TO GIVE. I WOULDN'T WANT TO DRAW COMPARISONS BETWEEN MYSELF AND POPE BENEDICT. BUT IT'S INTERESTING THAT HE BEGGED POPE JOHN PAUL TO LET HIM RETIRE. HIS GOAL WAS TO SPEND THE REST OF HIS LIFE WRITING THEOLOGY AND PLAYING THE ORGAN, AND DOING A LITTLE TEACHING. JOHN PAUL REFUSED TO LET HIM RETIRE, AND OUT OF OBEDIENCE, HE CONTINUED TO FUNCTION AS JOHN PAUL'S RIGHT HAND MAN. AND OUT OF OBEDIENCE HE ACCEPTED THE CALL OF GOD THROUGH THE COLLEGE OF CARDINALS, TO LEAD THE CHURCH.
TODAY'S GOSPEL SHOULD MAKE US EXAMINE OUR OWN LIVES. ARE WE REALLY HAPPY? IF WE AREN'T GIVING OURSELVES AWAY, IF WE AREN'T TAKING RISKS FOR THE GROWTH OF GOD'S KINGDOM, IF WE AREN'T DOING SOMETHING FOR OTHERS – THE POOR, THE SICK, THE LONELY, ESPECIALLY – WE PROBABLY AREN'T REALLY HAPPY. AND IF WE HAVE A TRUE CHRISTIAN SPIRIT, WE NOT ONLY RECOGNIZE THAT OUR GREATEST JOY IS IN SERVING THE KINGDOM, BUT WE HUNGER TO SERVE IT MORE AND MORE. CHRISTIANS AREN'T MEANT TO SIT ON A BEACH SOMEWHERE SIPPING TROPICAL DRINKS AND GETTING A GOOD TAN. NOR WILL WE FIND, IF WE ARE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO GET TO HEAVEN, THAT WE ARE SITTING ON A CLOUD STRUMMING A HARP, OR STARING INTO THE BLINDING CENTER OF THE HOLY TRINITY FOR EVER. NO, WE ARE HUMAN, AND WE WILL BE HUMAN EVEN THEN, AND A HUMAN IS ONLY HAPPY WHEN HE OR SHE IS BEING USEFUL. WE ARE ONLY TRULY HAPPY WHEN WE ARE GIVING OURSELVES AWAY.
THIS IS THE TIME OF YEAR WHEN THE PARISH ROLLS OUT THE ANNUAL “TIME, TALENT, AND TREASURE” CAMPAIGN. EVEN IF YOU ARE VERY BUSY, EVEN IF YOU DON'T THINK YOU CAN TAKE ON ANOTHER THING, PLEASE THINK ABOUT GIVING JUST A LITTLE MORE OF YOURSELF. BECAUSE, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THE REWARD FOR GIVING SOMETHING OF YOURSELF TO GOD IS TO BE OFFERED THE CHANCE TO GIVE EVEN MORE OF YOURSELF TO GOD. AND WHEN THERE IS NOTHING LEFT TO GIVE TO GOD, THEN YOU ARE WHERE YOU SHOULD BE, LIVING IN THE CENTER OF THE TRINITY WITH MARY AND THE SAINTS.