Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle C

LUKE 18:9-14

DID YOU HEAR THE STORY OF THE LITTLE GIRL WHO CAME HOME FROM SCHOOL ONE DAY ALL EXCITED. “THEY VOTED ME THE PRETTIEST GIRL IN THE CLASS!”, SHE SAID. THE NEXT DAY, SAME THING; “THEY VOTED ME THE MOST POPULAR GIRL IN THE CLASS!” ON THE THIRD DAY, SHE WAS EVEN MORE EXCITED. “TODAY THEY VOTED ME THE MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED!” THE NEXT DAY SHE CAME HOME CRYING. HER MOTHER SAID, “I GATHER SOMEONE ELSE WON THE VOTE TODAY.” “NO” SAID THE GIRL, “I WON. I WAS VOTED THE MOST STUCK UP.”

JESUS ONCE SAID THAT NO MAN WHO LIGHTS A LAMP PUTS IT UNDER A BUSHEL; INSTEAD HE PUTS IT ON A LAMP STAND SO THAT ALL THAT ENTER WILL SEE THE LIGHT. AND HE ALSO SAID, “LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE BEFORE MEN, THAT THEY MAY SEE YOUR GOOD WORKS AND GLORIFY YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN. MOTHER THERESA ACCEPTED THE NOBEL PRIZE FOR HER WORK AMONG THE POOR AND FORGOTTEN IN INDIA. AND DOWN THROUGH THE AGES WE'VE GOT MANY SAINTS WHO DID NOT HIDE THE FACT THAT THEY DID EXTRAORDINARILY GOOD WORKS.

THE PHARISEE IN THE STORY JESUS TOLD SEEMS TO BE DOING THE SAME THING. WE KNOW THAT PHARISEES WERE PEOPLE WHO WERE FULLY COMMITTED TO NOT ONLY OBEYING THE LAW, BUT SORT OF MOVING THE LAW INTO THEMSELVES. THIS PHARISEE TITHES, SO HE IS GIVING MORE OF HIS INCOME TO HIS RELIGION AND HIS CHARITIES THAN MOST OF US DO; AND HE FASTS, WHICH IS A PROFOUND RELIGIOUS ACT THAT MANY CHRISTIANS HAVE COMPLETELY FORGOTTEN ABOUT. AND YOU COULD PROBABLY CHECK ON THIS PHARISEE AND FIND THAT HE LIVED AN EXEMPLARY LIFE. SO WHAT IS THE PROBLEM HERE? PHARISEES WORE SPECIAL CLOTHING AS THEY WENT ABOUT THEIR BUSINESS; WHAT THEY WORE WAS BASED UPON WHAT WAS WRITTEN IN THE FIVE HOLY BOOKS OF MOSES. IF YOU PUT ON THOSE CLOTHES IN THAT SOCIETY, YOU WERE INVITING PEOPLE TO WATCH YOUR EVERY MOVE, AND IF YOU BROKE EVEN A SMALL COMMANDMENT, YOU WERE CONDEMNED AS A HYPOCRITE. AND THIS PHARISEE, PERHAPS, IS GLAD THAT HE IS NOT LIKE MOST OTHER MEN, GLAD THAT HE HAS THE STRENGTH AND WILL-POWER TO OBEY THE LAW DOWN TO THE LAST LITTLE DETAIL. AND MAYBE HE THINKS, BY PRAYING HIS PRAYER OUT LOUD, THAT SOME OF THE OTHER PEOPLE IN THE TEMPLE MIGHT SAY, “IF THAT GUY CAN DO IT, MAYBE I CAN DO IT AS WELL.”

AND THE TAX COLLECTOR. TAX COLLECTORS FIRST OF ALL WORKED FOR THE ROMANS. THE ROMANS WOULD GO INTO A VILLAGE AND APPOINT ONE OR MORE TAX COLLECTORS. THIS WAS AN ENVIABLE POSITION FROM A FINANCIAL STANDPOINT, EVEN THOUGH YOU'D BE KICKED OUT OF POLITE SOCIETY. THE WAY THINGS WORKED IS THAT YOU WENT OUT WITH A FEW ROMAN SOLDIERS AND YOU LOOKED OVER YOUR NEIGHBOR'S CROPS, OR HIS VINEYARDS OR HIS OLIVE TREES, OR WHATEVER HE DID TO MAKE A LIVING. YOU MADE AN ESTIMATE ABOUT HOW MUCH THIS WAS WORTH AND YOU CALCULATED THE PERCENTAGE OWED TO THE ROMANS. AND YOU THREW IN A LITTLE EXTRA, BECAUSE THAT'S HOW YOU MADE YOUR LIVING. TAX COLLECTORS GOT PART OF WHAT THEY COLLECTED. AND SINCE THE AVERAGE CITIZEN COULDN'T READ OR WRITE, AND SINCE THE ROMAN SOLDIERS WERE THERE TO ENFORCE YOUR DECISIONS, IT WAS A PRETTY NICE TRADE, AND EASY TO CHEAT ON. PEOPLE DIDN'T BECOME TAX COLLECTORS BECAUSE THEY WERE RELIGIOUS, OR GIVEN TO GREAT HONESTY. THEY BECAME TAX COLLECTORS TO GET RICH. AND YET OUR TAX COLLECTOR GOES HOME “JUSTIFIED.” ALL BECAUSE HE BEGS GOD FOR MERCY.

SO WHAT GIVES? IS JESUS SAYING THAT WE SHOULDN'T BE LIKE THE PHARISEE, AND WE SHOULD HIDE OUR LIGHT UNDER A BUSHEL? IS JESUS SAYING THAT WE SHOULD BE LIKE THE TAX COLLECTOR, AND NO MATTER HOW BADLY WE SIN, JUST CALL OUT FOR MERCY AND ALL WILL BE FORGIVEN? I DON'T THINK EITHER IS THE CASE.

IF YOU ARE REALLY HONEST WITH YOURSELF – I DON'T CARE WHO YOU ARE, EVEN IF YOU ARE A WALKING SAINT – YOU HAVE TO ADMIT YOU COULD BE BETTER. YOUR PRAYER LIFE COULD STAND AN OVERHAUL. YOU COULD BE A BETTER HUSBAND OR WIFE, OR MOTHER OR FATHER. IN THE COURSE OF YOUR DAY, DID YOU CUT A CORNER HERE AND THERE? HOW ABOUT YOUR DIET, YOUR EXERCISE – COULD THAT USE A LITTLE WORK? HAVE YOU CALLED YOUR MOTHER LATELY? ANY FRIENDS YOU'VE NEGLECTED, OR COMPLEMENTS YOU HAVEN'T GIVEN? WHEN I LOOK AT WHAT COULD BE VERSUS WHAT IS, I KNOW I COULD DO BETTER. AND THAT'S THE ONLY COMPARISON THAT MATTERS. THE PHARISEE THINKS GOD GRADES ON A CURVE, AND AS LONG AS THERE ARE TAX COLLECTORS AROUND, HE'S GOT NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT. BUT THE TAX COLLECTOR LOOKS AT HIMSELF, AND SEES THE GREAT GAP BETWEEN WHAT HE IS AND WHAT HE COULD BE. THE PHARISEE IS OF THE OPINION THAT HE DESERVES GOD'S FAVOR, BECAUSE HE'S BEEN SO GOOD AT KEEPING THE LAW. THE TAX COLLECTOR KNOWS THAT THE ONLY WAY HE'S GOING TO MAKE IT IS IF GOD IS MERCIFUL TO HIM; THERE'S NOTHING HE CAN DO, NOTHING AT ALL, TO MAKE GOD GIVE HIM A PORTION OF THE WORLD TO COME.

IT'S HARD GOING THROUGH A DAY WITHOUT AT LEAST MOMENTARILY CONTRASTING YOURSELF WITH SOMEONE ELSE; IT'S AN INSTINCT.. IF SOMEONE IS CLEARLY BETTER THAN I AM AT SOMETHING I TREASURE, I'LL FIND SOMETHING IN HIM THAT PALES IN COMPARISON TO ME. AND THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN GIVEN HUGE BLESSINGS – GREAT HEALTH, A GOOD MIND, A GREAT FAMILY, AND A LOT OF LUCK – AND FOR THEM IT'S EVEN HARDER TO NOT SAY, “THANK GOD I AM NOT LIKE THE REST OF MEN”. THE PHARISEE'S SIN IS NOT THAT HE IS BRAGGING OR SHOWING OFF. HIS SIN IS THAT HE IS NOT LOOKING AT HOW FAR HE HAS TO GO. THE TAX COLLECTOR MIGHT KNOW HE IS IN A HOLE HE CAN NEVER DIG OUT OF, BUT HIS EYES ARE FIXED ON WHAT IS STILL NEEDED IN HIS OWN LIFE. JESUS SAID, “BE PERFECT AS YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER IS PERFECT.” THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO PRAY ABOUT, THAT'S THE COMPARISON WE NEED TO MAKE WHEN WE ARE AT PRAYER. SAINT PAUL TOLD HIS FOLLOWERS TO BE IMITATORS OF HIM. THAT SOUNDS LIKE BRAGGING, BUT SAINT PAUL GOES ON TO SAY “AS I AM AN IMITATOR OF CHRIST.” HE KNEW HE STILL HAD A LONG WAY TO GO, BUT HE ALSO KNEW THAT HE WAS A GOOD EXAMPLE TO HIS NEW CONVERTS.

SO LIVE LIKE THE PHARISEE, KEEPING ALL THE COMMANDMENTS TO THE LETTER; TITHE AND FAST AND KEEP ON STRIVING TO BE BETTER TOMORROW THAN YOU WERE TODAY. AND EACH DAY FOCUS ON WHAT STILL STANDS IN THE WAY OF YOU AND PERFECTION. IF YOU ARE ANYTHING LIKE ANY OF THE SAINTS YOU KNOW YOU WON'T REACH PERFECTION IN THIS LIFE; BUT WORKING TOWARDS PERFECTION IS WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT. AND WHEN YOU ARE TEMPTED TO COMPARE YOURSELF TO SOMEONE ELSE, COMPARE YOURSELF INSTEAD TO WHAT YOU COULD BE IF YOUR REALLY WORKED AT IT. AND THEN CALL OUT FOR GOD'S MERCY, BECAUSE THAT'S THE ONLY HOPE YOU AND I HAVE.

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle C

LUKE 18:1-8

HOW DO WE INTERPRET JESUS' PARABLE TODAY? I GUESS THE OBVIOUS ANSWER IS THAT HE IS TELLING US THAT WE SHOULD BE VERY PERSISTENT IN OUR PRAYER. JESUS GAVE MANY OTHER TEACHINGS ABOUT PRAYER – HE GAVE US THE LORD'S PRAYER AS A MODEL; HE TOLD US THAT WHATEVER WE ASKED FOR WOULD BE GIVEN TO US; HE TOLD US ANOTHER PARABLE ABOUT A MAN WHO WENT TO HIS NEIGHBOR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT TO BORROW A LOAF OF BREAD, AND ENDED UP BANGING DOWN THE DOOR UNTIL THE NEIGHBOR GOT UP. AND HE GAVE US THAT WONDERFUL INSTRUCTION, “ASK AND IT WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU, SEEK AND YOU WILL FIND, KNOCK AND IT WILL BE OPEN TO YOU.” THESE ARE ALL WONDERFUL WORDS, BUT IF YOU ARE LIKE ME, YOU DON'T SEE THESE THINGS HAPPENING; YOU KNOW OF A MOTHER WHO HAS PRAYED FOR HER CHILD'S LIFE – AND THE CHILD DIED. WASN'T SHE PERSISTENT ENOUGH? IF YOU ARE LIKE ME, YOU TAKE REFUGE IN TAGGING “THY WILL BE DONE” ONTO ALL YOUR PRAYERS, EVEN IF YOU DON'T ACTUALLY SAY THE WORDS, BECAUSE THAT GIVES GOD AN OUT. YOU SAY, “GOD ALWAYS ANSWERS PRAYERS, BUT SOMETIMES THE ANSWER IS NO.” I'M ALWAYS TROUBLED BY WHAT JESUS SAYS ABOUT PRAYER, AND MY OWN EXPERIENCE WITH PRAYER.

SURE, EVERY NOW AND THEN YOU SEE A GLIMMER OF GOD BREAKING THROUGH. PEOPLE PRAY FOR A YOUNG PRIEST WHO SEEMS TO BE DYING, AND HE TURNS THE CORNER! A MAN OUT OF WORK PRAYS FOR A JOB TO TAKE CARE OF HIS FAMILY, AND THE VERY NEXT DAY GETS A GREAT OFFER. I'VE HAD MOMENTS LIKE THAT; ONCE IN A BLUE MOON IT SEEMS AS THOUGH GOD DOES HEAR MY PRAYER AND ANSWERS IT. BUT THOSE MOMENTS ONLY EMPHASIZE THE MANY MANY TIMES I'VE PRAYER AND THE ANSWER, IF ANY, IS VERY SUBTLE – OR MAYBE IT IS “NO”. AND YET, JESUS PRAYERS WERE ALWAYS ANSWERED, ALWAYS EXCEPT THAT TIME IN THE GARDEN WHEN HE PRAYED, “LET THIS CUP PASS FROM ME – BUT ADDED – NOT MY WILL, BUT YOURS BE DONE.” BUT EVEN THERE, WE KNOW THAT JESUS HAD KNOWN THAT WHEN HE WENT DOWN TO JERUSALEM HE WASN'T COMING BACK; EVEN HIS APOSTLES KNEW THAT. AFTER TRYING TO PERSUADE HIM NOT TO GO, THOMAS SAID, “LET US GO DOWN WITH HIM AND DIE WITH HIM.” THAT PRAYER IN THE GARDEN JUST PROVED THAT JESUS WAS HUMAN, NOT THAT HE WANTED TO AVOID WHAT HE WAS SENT TO EARTH FOR.

SOME PROTESTANTS TALK ABOUT “ASKING PRAYER.” IT WORKS SOMETHING LIKE THIS. FIRST, YOU HAVE TO ASK. THE WIDOW ASKED FOR A JUST DECISION AGAINST HER ADVERSARY. THE POINT IS THAT SHE WAS OWED THIS DECISION; SHE WASN'T ASKING FOR A GOLD-PLATED MULE OR AN IVORY PALACE. THE POINT OF ASKING PRAYER IS THAT GOD HAS ALREADY SET EVERYTHING IN MOTION AND IS EAGER FOR YOU TO ASK SO THAT IT CAN BE GIVEN TO YOU. AND GOD PROMPTS YOU TO ASK. SOMETIMES WE PRAY ROTE PRAYERS, HARDLY KNOWING WHAT WE ARE SAYING; SOMETIMES WE PRAY FOR STUFF, FOR FAVORS, OFTEN FOR GOOD THINGS; AND SOMETIMES WE PRAY WITH NO EXPECTATION THAT OUR PRAYER WILL BE ANSWERED, AND THAT'S NOT A PRAYER AT ALL. THE FIRST STEP IS TO LISTEN TO WHAT GOD IS ASKING US TO PRAY FOR AND THEN ASK FOR IT.

SECOND YOU HAVE TO SEEK. THE WIDOW KEEPS COMING TO THE JUDGE. SHE DOESN'T CONDEMN HIM, DOESN'T GO OFF AND DESPAIR; PRETTY SOON THE JUDGE KNOWS THIS WIDOW; SHE BECOMES REAL TO HIM, NOT JUST ANOTHER STREET PERSON. A RELATIONSHIP IS FORMED; TWO HUMAN BEINGS OPEN UP A LITTLE TO EACH OTHER. JESUS TELLS US TO PRAY “IN HIS NAME” THIS MEANS WE ARE TO PRAY IN THE MIND OF CHRIST. WE DON'T SAY, “LORD, PLEASE FIND ME A JOB.” WE SAY, “LORD, HERE IS A NEED. HOW DO YOU WANT ME TO PRAY ABOUT IT?” SAINT PAUL SAID THAT HE PRAYED THREE TIMES THAT AN ILLNESS WOULD BE LIFTED, AND THE LORD FINALLY REPLIED, “MY GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR YOU, FOR POWER IS PERFECTED IN WEAKNESS.” PAUL THEN GLORIED IN THE WEAKNESS HE HAD, BECAUSE HE HAD COME TO KNOW THE MIND OF CHRIST.

THIRD, YOU HAVE TO KNOCK. THE WIDOW'S PERSISTENCE MAKES THE JUDGE FEARFUL THAT SHE MIGHT DO VIOLENCE TO HIM, AND HE FINALLY RELENTS. WHAT IS THE POINT OF PRAYING OVER AND OVER AGAIN FOR THE SAME THING? DOESN'T GOD HEAR US THE FIRST TIME? BUT WE SEE THROUGHOUT SCRIPTURE THAT THE GREAT FIGURES OFTEN PRAY REPEATEDLY; THE STORY OF MOSES HOLDING UP HIS STAFF WITH THE HELP OF HIS AIDS SHOWS US ABOUT THIS KNOCKING. WHEN HE HELD THE STAFF UP, THE ISRAELITES GOT THE BETTER OF THE FIGHT, BUT WHEN HE COULDN'T HOLD IT UP ANYMORE, THEY BEGAN TO LOSE. PERSISTENT PRAYER DOESN'T CHANGE GOD'S MIND. BUT IT DOES RELEASE SPIRITUAL ENERGY. EVEN THOUGH GOD MIGHT WISH TO ANSWER OUR PRAYERS, THERE ARE BARRIERS. WE MAY PRAY FOR THE RECOVERY OF A CHILD FROM A LIFE-THREATENING ILLNESS; BUT THE CHILD AT SOME LEVEL MIGHT BE PRAYING TO BE UNITED TO GOD. WE MIGHT PRAY THAT A FRIEND RETURNS TO THE CHURCH. BUT GOD WOULD NEVER STAND IN THE WAY OF THE FREE WILL HE'S GIVEN THAT FRIEND. SOMETIMES THESE BARRIERS CAN BE OVERCOME, AND PERHAPS THE KNOCKING, THE REPETITIOUS PRAYER, RELEASES THAT KIND OF ENERGY. IT WORKED FOR THE WIDOW; SHE STARTED WITH A JUDGE THAT DID NOT FEAR GOD OR MAN, BUT ENDED UP WITH A JUDGE WHO COULD NO LONGER DENY HER JUSTICE. WHAT HAPPENED? THE JUDGE WAS CHANGED. WE CAN'T CHANGE GOD, BUT WE CAN CHANGE WHAT IS KEEPING GOD FROM ACTING – BECAUSE INDEED GOD LIMITS HIMSELF OUT OF LOVE FOR US.

JESUS SAYS THAT OUR PERSISTENCE WILL PAY OFF. WE WHO ARE GOD'S CHOSEN ONES WILL RECEIVE WHAT IS RIGHT FOR US. NOTICE THAT JESUS REFERS TO OUR RIGHTS, AND THAT'S WHAT HE IS GUARANTEEING. HE IS THE ONE WHO GUARANTEES, WHO IS ALWAYS THERE WHEN WE ARE PRAYING, HAS DONE ALL THAT HE POSSIBLY CAN FOR US TO HAVE OUR “RIGHTS” AS CHILDREN OF THE FATHER.

BUT THEN WE HEAR THAT LAST SENTENCE ECHOING DOWN OVER 2000 YEARS – WHEN THE SON OF MAN COMES, WILL HE FIND FAITH ON EARTH? AND I LOOK AT MY OWN PRAYER LIFE, AND I REALIZE THAT I'VE STILL GOT A LONG WAY TO GO TO PRAY THE WAY HE WANTS ME TO PRAY. AND I DON'T HAVE A LOT OF TIME TO LEARN HOW TO DO IT. AND MAYBE YOU FEEL THE SAME WAY, SO LET'S GET STARTED.

Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle C

LUKE 17:11-19

A LONG TIME AGO I ARRANGED A PROGRAM INTENDING TO BRING PHYSICIANS AND CLERGY TOGETHER. I HAD INVITED A PSYCHIATRIST, A PROTESTANT MINISTER, A RABBI, AND A CATHOLIC PRIEST TO SPEAK, IN ADDITION TO MYSELF; THE GENERAL THEME HAD TO DO WITH HOW WE COULD HELP PEOPLE WHO WERE DYING, SPECIFICALLY, DYING OF CANCER. I DON'T REMEMBER MUCH ABOUT THE MEETING, IT WAS SO LONG AGO. BUT I DO REMEMBER THE PROTESTANT MINISTER, WHO WAS FROM ONE OF THOSE CHURCHES THEY PUT IN STORE FRONTS. AS HE BEGAN TO SPEAK, HE TALKED ABOUT HOW JESUS HAD DIED FOR US, AND HE QUOTED SCRIPTURE, TALKED ABOUT HIS PERSONAL CONVERSION, GAVE EXAMPLES OF PEOPLE WHO HAD BEEN BORN-AGAIN WHEN THEY FACED TERMINAL ILLNESS – AND HIS TALK BECAME MORE AND MORE AGITATED AND HE BEGAN TO SHED TEARS. IN A GATHERING WHERE EVERYONE ELSE HAD GIVEN A DRY, DISPASSIONATE TALK, HE WAS SORT OF AN EMBARRASSMENT. AFTER ALL, THERE WERE PROBABLY ONLY A HANDFUL OF EVANGELICAL PROTESTANTS IN THE WHOLE GATHERING. BUT I WONDERED WHY HE BECAME SO EMOTIONAL, HOW HE COULD SHED TEARS IN FRONT OF A BUNCH OF DOCTORS AND CLERGYPERSONS OF DIFFERENT FAITHS AND DENOMINATIONS.

LISTEN TO THE GOSPEL STORY. TEN LEPERS CALL TO JESUS FROM A DISTANCE, IT SAYS. AND JESUS DOES NOT TOUCH THEM, AS HE HAS TOUCHED OTHER LEPERS AND BLIND AND LAME AND DEAF PEOPLE. HE SAYS, “GO AND SHOW YOURSELVES TO THE PRIESTS”. WE THINK OF THE PHARISEES AS BEING OVERLY CONCERNED WITH THE LAW, AND MAYBE SOME WERE. BUT THE ULTIMATE ARBITERS OF THE LAW OF MOSES WERE THE PRIESTS. THEY WENT THROUGH AN APPRENTICESHIP, IN WHICH THEY LEARNED FROM THE SCRIPTURES AND THE ESTABLISHED PRIESTS HOW TO JUDGE INDIVIDUAL CASES AGAINST THE BACKGROUND OF THE LAW. A PRIEST HAD TO MAKE SURE THAT THE ANIMALS USED IN SACRIFICE WERE HEALTHY – AN ANIMAL WITH A BROKEN BONE OR A MISSING EYE WASN'T GOOD ENOUGH FOR GOD. PRIESTS HAD TO KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT WEIGHTS AND MEASURES, BECAUSE PEOPLE MADE OFFERINGS OF FRUITS AND GRAINS AND PRESSED DATES AND FIGS. THESE HAD TO BE WEIGHED AND INSPECTED. PRIESTS HAD TO BE ABLE TO APPLY THE MARRIAGE LAWS TO INDIVIDUAL CASES – WERE THESE TWO RELATED OUT TO SEVEN TIMES REMOVED? WERE THERE OTHER IMPEDIMENTS? AND THEY HAD TO KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT SKIN DISEASES, BECAUSE THEY WERE THE JUDGES OF WHETHER SOMEONE HAD LEPROSY OR NOT.

THE TEN LEPERS KNEW THAT JESUS WAS A GREAT HEALER AND THEY DEMONSTRATED THEIR FAITH BY MARCHING OFF TO SEE THE PRIESTS. THEY ALL BELIEVED THAT BY DOING WHAT JESUS TOLD THEM TO DO THEY WOULD BE HEALED, AND INDEED, ON THE WAY, IT SAYS, THEY WERE CLEANSED. I ADMIRE THE TEN LEPERS. HOW MANY OF US KNOW THAT GOD WANTS US TO DO SOMETHING AND YET, WE THINK OF EXCUSES AND KEEP PUTTING IT OFF. AT LEAST THE LEPERS TOOK JESUS AT HIS WORD AND BEGAN TO MOVE. THEY DIDN'T SAY, “WHAT IF IT DOESN'T WORK? MAYBE WE SHOULD JUST WAIT A WHILE AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS. AFTER ALL, IT WOULD REALLY BE EMBARRASSING IF WE SHOWED OURSELVES TO THE PRIESTS AND WEREN'T ACTUALLY CLEANSED OF THEIR LEPROSY.

BUT THE SAMARITAN LEPER , IT SAYS, REALIZED HE WAS HEALED. NOT JUST CLEANSED, BUT HEALED. I THINK LUKE USES DIFFERENT WORDS HERE DELIBERATELY. WHAT JESUS GAVE THE LEPERS WAS NOT JUST A NEW SKIN, SMOOTH AS A BABY'S BOTTOM – BUT SOMETHING THAT TRANSFORMED THE WHOLE PERSON. AND WITH THAT REALIZATION, THE SAMARITAN WAS OVERCOME WITH GRATITUDE, AND GRATITUDE MADE HIM TURN AROUND AND RETURN TO THE LORD. WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER LEPERS? WERE THEY NOT GRATEFUL? WHAT HAPPENED WHEN THEY WERE GIVEN A CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH AND COULD RETURN TO THEIR FAMILIES AND TAKE THEIR PLACE IN SOCIETY AGAIN? I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY WEREN'T GRATEFUL. BUT THIS IS THE DIFFERENCE; THEY WERE NOT GRATEFUL ENOUGH; THEY WERE UNAWARE OF THEIR INNER HEALING IN ADDITION TO THEIR OUTER CLEANSING; IN A SENSE THEY SAW THAT THEY HAD BEEN RESTORED TO WHAT WAS RIGHTLY THEIRS – GOOD HEALTH; WHEREAS THE SAMARITAN KNEW THAT WHAT HE HAD RECEIVED HAD BEEN A GIFT THAT HE HAD NOT DESERVED, AND MORE THAN HE HAD ASKED FOR. AND THE MORE GRATEFUL YOU ARE, THE CLOSER YOU WANT TO BE TO THE ONE WHO GAVE YOU SOMETHING FOR WHICH TO BE GRATEFUL. AND THAT STATEMENT JESUS MAKES, “TEN WERE CLEANED, BUT ONLY THIS FOREIGNER RETURNED TO GIVE THANKS TO GOD,” IS A STATEMENT HE COULD MAKE ABOUT EACH OF US, I'M SURE. MOST OF US ARE NOT VERY GRATEFUL. WE ARE LIKE THE MAN WITH A BROKEN ARM WHO GOES INTO A POST OFFICE AND ASKS THE CLERK TO WRITE A POSTCARD FOR HIM. THE CLERK INTERRUPTS WHAT HE IS DOING AND WRITES THE MESSAGE ON THE CARD. “ANYTHING ELSE I CAN DO FOR YOU,” HE SAYS? THE MAN LOOKS AT THE CARD AND REPLIES, “ADD A LINE APOLOGIZING FOR THE HANDWRITING.”

MY PROTESTANT MINISTER FRIEND WHO WEPT AS HE RECOUNTED THE GIFT THAT JESUS GAVE US ON THE CROSS, THE GIFT OF HIS OWN CONVERSION, THE GIFT OF BEING ALLOWED TO WITNESS GOD ACTING IN THE LIVES OF PEOPLE WHO WERE DYING, WEPT BECAUSE HE WAS GRATEFUL. AND WHILE I'LL PROBABLY NOT EVER GET TO THE POINT WHERE I WILL WEEP, BECAUSE I'M JUST BUILT DIFFERENTLY, I KNOW I CAN BE MORE GRATEFUL FOR EVERYTHING GOD HAS DONE FOR ME. AND WHY SHOULD I BE GRATEFUL? BECAUSE GRATITUDE DRAWS ME TO JESUS, AS IT DID THE SAMARITAN LEPER. AND OUT OF GRATITUDE GROWS HOLINESS, GROWS DYING TO SELF AND LIVING FOR OTHERS, GROWS MY BECOMING WHAT I AM SUPPOSED TO BE, ANOTHER CHRIST. IN MANY OF THE PRAYERS JESUS SAID, HE BEGINS, “FATHER, I THANK YOU...” IN OUR LITURGY, BEFORE THE PROFOUND MOMENT WHEN THE BREAD AND WINE WE OFFER BECOME THE BODY AND BLOOD OF JESUS, WE PRAY A PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING – “LIFT UP YOUR HEARTS. WE HAVE LIFTED THEM UP TO THE LORD. LET US GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD. IT IS RIGHT AND JUST.” AND THAT SHOULD BE PART OF OUR DAILY PRAYERS, EVERY DAY, EVERY TIME WE PRAY – WHAT ARE WE THANKFUL FOR? WHAT GIFTS HAS GOD GIVEN US TODAY? AND AS WE ENUMERATE THE GIFTS WE WILL THINK OF MORE; AND AS WE THINK ABOUT WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR US, WE WILL BEGIN TO SEE THAT EVEN THOSE THINGS WHICH AREN'T PLEASANT, WHICH IN FACT DON'T SEEM TO BE GIFTS AT ALL, CAN BE SEEN TO HAVE A GIFT WITHIN THEM. BECAUSE GOD IS GOOD, AND AS JESUS REMINDS US, “WHAT FATHER AMONG YOU WOULD GIVE HIS SON A SNAKE WHEN HE ASKED FOR A FISH, OR A SCORPION WHEN HE ASKED FOR AN EGG? IF YOU KNOW HOW TO GIVE GOOD THINGS TO YOUR CHILDREN, HOW MUCH MORE GOD WILL GIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT TO THOSE WHO ASK HIM?”

GOD CAN DO A LOT, BUT HE WILL NOT MAKE US BECOME GRATEFUL. ONLY YOU AND I CAN CULTIVATE GRATITUDE, AND WE MUST DO SO IF WE WISH TO BECOME CLOSER TO JESUS.

Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

LUKE 17:5-10

WHEN I WAS PRACTICING MEDICINE, I MORE THAN ONCE TOOK CARE OF PEOPLE WHO REALLY BELIEVED IN MIRACLES. I REMEMBER ONE COUPLE VERY WELL. HE HAD CANCER, AND FROM THE STANDPOINT OF WHAT WE KNEW ABOUT HIS SITUATION, HE WAS INCURABLE AND WOULD PROBABLY PASS AWAY IN A FEW MONTHS. HIS WIFE KEPT TELLING HIM TO HAVE FAITH, AND THEY PRAYED FOR A MIRACLE. THEY WENT ON A PILGRIMAGE TO A SHRINE KNOWN FOR MIRACLES, AND CAME BACK GLOWING WITH OPTIMISM BECAUSE THEY KNEW THAT GOD HAD CURED HIM. UNFORTUNATELY, THE DISEASE RAN ITS COURSE AND HE DIED, ABOUT WHEN WE EXPECTED HIM TO, A FEW MONTHS AFTER HIS DIAGNOSIS. I MET HIS WIFE SEVERAL WEEKS LATER AND IN THE COURSE OF OUR CONVERSATION, SHE BECAME TEARFUL AND SAD, AND SAID TO ME, “I GUESS WE DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH FAITH.”

I THINK THAT'S WHAT THE APOSTLES HAD IN MIND – THEY HAD BEEN WATCHING JESUS DO WONDROUS THINGS, AND THEY THEMSELVES HAD EVERY NOW AND THEN DONE SOMETHING MIRACULOUS. AND IT WAS ONLY NATURAL FOR THEM TO SAY, “INCREASE OUR FAITH”. BECAUSE IF WE ONLY HAD MORE FAITH, WE COULD CURE THE SICK, GIVE SIGHT TO THE BLIND, MAYBE EVEN RAISE THE DEAD. AND IF YOU WERE LAYING IN A HOSPITAL BED FACING A MAJOR SURGICAL PROCEDURE, WOULDN'T IT BE GREAT TO HAVE ENOUGH FAITH SO THAT YOUR BODY WOULD GET BETTER ON IT'S OWN? THERE SEEM TO BE A LOT OF ADVANTAGES TO HAVING FAITH, AND THE MORE THE BETTER.

AND JESUS SEEMS TO SUPPORT THIS IDEA – IF YOU HAD THE FAITH THE SIZE OF A MUSTARD SEED, YOU WOULD SAY TO THIS MULBERRY TREE, “BE UPROOTED AND PLANTED IN THE SEA,” AND IT WOULD OBEY YOU. AND THEN JESUS SEEMS TO COMPLETELY CHANGE THE SUBJECT.

BUT I'M BOTHERED BY THAT STATEMENT. THERE HAVE BEEN CANONIZED SAINTS WHO NEVER WORKED A MIRACLE DURING THEIR LIVES – AND I'M SURE THEY HAD TIMES THEY WISHED TO DO SO. AND THEY HAD LOTS OF FAITH. AND THE MARTYRS – THEY HAD ENOUGH FAITH TO ACCEPT DEATH, BUT THERE DON'T SEEM TO BE ANY EXAMPLES OF THE MARTYRDOM BEING CALLED OFF, EVEN THOUGH I'M SURE THEY PRAYED, AS JESUS DID, THAT MAYBE THEY WOULDN'T HAVE TO DRINK OF THIS CUP. SO I THINK THAT WHEN HE TALKED ABOUT THE MULBERRY TREE, HE WAS BEING A LITTLE SARCASTIC. HE WAS SAYING “IF YOU HAD EVEN A LITTLE OF THE KIND OF FAITH YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT, YOU WOULD PROBABLY DO SOMETHING STUPID OR POINTLESS WITH IT.” AND IF JESUS IS MAKING THAT KIND OF STATEMENT, THEN THE LITTLE STORY THAT FOLLOWS MAKES A LOT MORE SENSE. BECAUSE HE GOES ON TO TELL THEM SOMETHING ABOUT REAL FAITH.

WHEN YOU AND I WERE LITTLE CHILDREN WE WERE TAUGHT, ALMOST FROM THE TIME WE COULD UNDERSTAND LANGUAGE, THAT IF WE LEARNED TO GO WITHOUT DIAPERS, WE WOULD BE REWARDED. IF WE COULD EAT WITH A SPOON INSTEAD OF OUR FINGERS, WE WOULD BE GIVEN APPROVAL. AND AS WE HIT THE MILESTONES WE WERE SUPPOSED TO HIT, OUR LOVING PARENTS WOULD MAKE A BIG DEAL ABOUT IT, AND PRAISE US AND REWARD US. AND BY THE TIME WE HAVE BECOME ADULTS, THERE IS STILL A LITTLE BIT OF THAT IN US – WE SHOULD BE REWARDED FOR OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS; IF WE DO OUR JOB REALLY WELL, WE SHOULD GET NOT ONLY OUR PAY, BUT A BONUS. WE GRADUALLY LEARN THAT THE WORLD DOESN'T WORK THAT WAY, BUT THE LITTLE CHILD IN US CONTINUES TO BELIEVE THAT IT DOES. AND SO, WHEN IT COMES TO GOD, OUR FATHER, THE LITTLE CHILD COMES OUT AGAIN; IF WE DO SOMETHING FOR GOD, SHOULDN'T WE BE REWARDED? IF WE SAY CERTAIN PRAYERS, IF WE HELP OUT IN THE FAITH FORMATION PROGRAM OR THE FOOD FOR THE SOULS PROGRAM, OR THE SOUP KITCHEN, ISN'T GOD GOING TO BLESS US?

JESUS IS SAYING, IT DOESN'T WORK THAT WAY. GOD DOES NOT WAIT ON HIS CREATURES, GOD IS NOT A VENDING MACHINE IN THE SKY. YOU AND I, IF WE TRULY WANT TO FULFILL OUR HUMAN NATURE, IF WE WANT TO BE COMPLETE AND JOYFUL PEOPLE, WE HAVE TO RECOGNIZE THAT WE ARE SERVANTS, WE ARE SLAVES OF THE FATHER, AND DOING WHAT HE WANTS IS WHAT WE SHOULD WANT. WE DO GOD'S WILL BECAUSE HE IS GOD AND WE AREN'T, NOT BECAUSE WE EXPECT A REWARD.

FAITH IS NOT SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN DIAL UP OR DOWN. IT DOES NOT PRECEDE ACTION. ACTION, THE DOING OF GOD'S WILL, LEADS TO FAITH. AND FAITH IS NOT A MYSTICAL FEELING OR A FEELING OF DEEP UNION WITH GOD. IF YOU HAVE THAT, IT'S GREAT, BUT IT'S NOT FAITH. MOTHER THERESA OF CALCUTTA, ACCORDING TO PRIVATE LETTERS SHE WROTE TO HER CONFESSOR, SPENT A HUGE PART OF HER LIFE FEELING NOTHING, FEELING AS THOUGH GOD HAD ABANDONED HER – OR MAYBE THAT GOD DIDN'T EXIST AT ALL. BUT DESPITE ALL THAT, SHE CONTINUED TO KEEP ON DOING WHAT SHE UNDERSTOOD GOD TO WANT WITH HER LIFE – NOT JUST WORKING FOR THE POOR AND DYING, BUT PRAYING, PRAYING IN FRONT OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT FOR AN HOUR EACH DAY, ATTENDING DAILY MASS, SAYING THE ROSARY AND THE LITURGY OF THE HOURS. SHE HAD FAITH, BUT DID NOT HAVE A FEELING. AND FAITH IS NOT AN INTELLECTUAL THING EITHER. QUITE A FEW CANONIZED SAINTS COULDN'T EXPLAIN THINGS LIKE THE TRINITY OR HOW JESUS COULD BE BOTH GOD AND MAN. DOING GOD'S WILL BECAUSE IT IS GOD'S WILL IS FAITH; AND THE SERVANTS IN JESUS' STORY DID THE MASTER'S WILL NOT BECAUSE THEY EXPECTED A REWARD, BUT BECAUSE THEY KNEW THAT'S WHAT THEY WERE FOR.

IF WE DO ALL THAT WE ARE EXPECTED TO DO, WE SHOULDN'T EXPECT A REWARD. BUT WE BEGIN TO BE WORTHWHILE SERVANTS WHEN WE GO BEYOND THE BARE MINIMUM. BUT IF WE AREN'T EXPECTING A REWARD, WHY SHOULD WE GO BEYOND WHAT IS EXPECTED OF US? T.S. ELIOT, THE POET, SAID THAT DOING THE RIGHT THING FOR THE WRONG REASON WAS THE LAST TEMPTATION. IF WE GO BEYOND THE MINIMUM BECAUSE WE FEEL SORRY FOR THE PEOPLE WE SERVE; IF WE GO BEYOND THE MINIMUM BECAUSE IT MAKES US FEEL GOOD; IF WE GO BEYOND THE MINIMUM BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT A CHRISTIAN SHOULD DO – ALL THESE ARE THE WRONG REASONS FOR DOING THE RIGHT THING. THE ONLY REASON THAT MAKES US HOLY, THAT MAKES US WILLING TO GIVE OURSELVES UP FOR EACH OTHER, THAT MAKES US GET OUT OF OUR COMFORT ZONE TO SERVE THE NEEDY AND VISIT THE SICK AND LONELY AND ALL THOSE THINGS WE KNOW JESUS WOULD LIKE US TO DO, BEYOND THE BARE MINIMUM, IS GRATITUDE. AND IF YOU AND I CAN'T THINK OF SOMETHING FOR WHICH WE ARE GRATEFUL TO GOD, WE'VE DEFINITELY GOT LAZY MINDS.

I MET A LADY WITH ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE RECENTLY AND HAD A LONG CHAT WITH HER. THERE ARE HOLES IN HER MEMORY, WORDS SHE CAN'T FIND, FRIENDS AND LOVED ONES THAT SHE'S FORGOTTEN – BUT ALL THROUGH OUR CONVERSATION, AND PROBABLY THE REASON I STAYED WITH HER FOR A WHILE, SHE KEPT RETURNING TO THE IDEA THAT SHE HAD HAD A WONDERFUL LIFE, AND THAT SHE WAS SO GRATEFUL TO GOD FOR THAT.

I THINK JESUS IS CALLING US TO LOOK VERY CAREFULLY AT HOW WE RELATE TO GOD OUR FATHER. ARE WE DOING WHAT HE WANTS US TO DO BECAUSE HE IS GOD AND WE ARE CREATURES? ARE WE DOING MORE THAN THE BARE MINIMUM NOT BECAUSE WE EXPECT A REWARD, BUT BECAUSE WE ARE SO GRATEFUL TO HIM THAT TO DO NOTHING IS ALMOST AN INSULT? WILL THE LAST MEMORY IN OUR MINDS BE TO BE GRATEFUL FOR ALL GOD HAS GIVEN US, TOTALLY UNDESERVED? I HOPE IT WILL BE YOURS AND MINE.

Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

LUKE 16:19-31

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE POOR? WE THINK ABOUT THE PICTURES IN THE NEWS OF STARVING CHILDREN IN HAITI – RED HAIR AND BLOATED BELLIES FROM VITAMIN DEFICIENCIES, ARMS AND LEGS LIKE STICKS AND SKELETAL FACES BECAUSE OF LACK OF CALORIES. I THINK MOST OF US WOULD GLADLY SHELL OUT A FEW DOLLARS TO HELP ONE OF THESE. THEN THERE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO AREN'T STARVING, BUT THEY HAVE TO WORK SIXTEEN HOURS A DAY TO PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE – HARD, BRUTAL WORK – AND THEY LIVE IN ONE-ROOM SHACKS OR LARGE CARDBOARD BOXES – AND MANY OF US WOULD LIKE TO HELP THEM AS WELL, BUT WE BEGIN TO ASK, WHY? COULDN'T THEY DO BETTER IF THEY JUST PUT THEIR MINDS TO IT? AND WE CAN WORK OUR WAY UP THE LADDER UNTIL THE FACT OF POVERTY BECOMES INVISIBLE TO US. BUT WHAT DO ALL POOR PEOPLE HAVE IN COMMON?

MY GRANDFATHER WAS POOR – HE CAME FROM A FARMING FAMILY, HAD A FOURTH GRADE EDUCATION, LEFT HOME AT FOURTEEN. HE WAS A RANCH HAND UNTIL THE AGE OF 30, WHEN HE MOVED TO THE CITY. HE NEVER HAD A NEW CAR, NEVER OWNED A HOUSE; HE AND MY GRANDMOTHER ALWAYS RENTED WHERE THEY LIVED. HE SOLD HOUSEWARES IN THE MONTGOMERY WARD STORE, AND LATER IN LIFE BECAME A BARTENDER. I THINK THE MOST MONEY HE EVER MADE WAS WHEN HE BEGAN TO COLLECT SOCIAL SECURITY, AND GOT A LITTLE HELP FROM MY DAD AND MOM. HE NEVER HAD ANY MONEY. HE HAD A LOT OF DREAMS, BUT COULDN'T FULFILL THEM – MONEY GIVES YOU POWER. HE WOULD HAVE LIKED TO HAVE GONE HOME TO VISIT HIS SISTERS AND THE PEOPLE HE GREW UP WITH, BUT COULDN'T – MONEY GIVES YOU FREEDOM. HE WOULD HAVE LIKED TO TAKE A VACATION NOW AND THEN, MAYBE SPENT SOME TIME ACQUIRING A NEW SKILL SO HE COULD HAVE A BETTER JOB, BUT HE NEEDED TO WORK EVERY CHANCE HE HAD – MONEY BRINGS YOU SECURITY. AND I'M SURE HE WOULD HAVE LIKED TO HAVE PROVIDED MY GRANDMOTHER WITH A HOME OF HER OWN, AND MY DAD AND HIS SISTER WITH AN EDUCATION – MONEY ALLOWS YOU TO HELP THOSE YOU LOVE. BEING POOR MEANS THAT YOU HAVE VERY LITTLE CONTROL OVER YOUR OWN LIFE.

LAZARUS IS THE ULTIMATE POOR MAN, SO POOR HE CANNOT MOVE, SO POOR HE CANNOT EAT, SO POOR HE HAS NO ONE EXCEPT A FEW DOGS; AND EVEN HIS DREAMS ARE TINY AND SAD – HE WANTS TO EAT SOME FOOD THAT WAS THROWN TO THE DOGS.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE RICH? I KNOW PEOPLE WHO HAVE A LOT OF MONEY, BUT THEY LIVE FRUGALLY. AND THEN THERE ARE THOSE WHO ARE LIKE THIS RICH MAN – THEY HAVE EVERY TOY THAT COMES ON THE MARKET; THEY GET A NEW CAR EVERY COUPLE OF YEARS, THEY'VE GOT A BOAT AND A TIME SHARE – AND I THINK WE ALL SENSE THAT THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE, BUT WE CAN'T QUITE PUT OUR FINGER ON IT. CERTAINLY BEING RICH AND LIVING LIKE THIS DOESN'T SEEM TO BE A DEADLY SIN; AFTER ALL, IF YOU GOT YOUR FORTUNE HONESTLY THROUGH HARD WORK OR MAYBE BECAUSE YOU INHERITED WEALTH OR MARRIED WEALTH, WELL, DON'T WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO USE WHAT IS OURS AS WE WISH? AFTER ALL, THAT'S A PREMISE ENSHRINED IN OUR CONSTITUTION AND ENDORSED BY OUR POPES – WITH THE ADMONITION THAT WE SHOULD BE GENEROUS WITH OUR WEALTH, WE SHOULD GIVE SOME OF IT AWAY TO THOSE LESS FORTUNATE THAN WE ARE.

BUT THE REAL PROBLEM WITH WEALTH IS THAT IT IS SEDUCTIVE. IT REALLY DOES MEAN POWER – THE ABILITY TO DO WHAT YOU WANT; AND IT MEANS FREEDOM – THE ABILITY TO GO WHERE YOU WANT TO GO. AND IT MEANS SECURITY – AT LEAST AS MUCH SECURITY AS WE CAN HAVE ON THIS EARTH; AND IT MEANS THE ABILITY TO HELP THOSE YOU LOVE – HOW MANY OF US HAVE PUT A KID OR TWO THROUGH COLLEGE, OR THROWN A DAUGHTER A WEDDING TO REMEMBER?

WHETHER WE LIVE A SIMPLE OR LAVISH LIFE STYLE, THE REAL PROBLEM WITH WEALTH IS THAT IT ISOLATES US. MOST OF US LIVE IN LONGMEADOW. IT'S A NICE PEACEFUL COMMUNITY, BUT RIGHT OVER THERE ACROSS FOREST PARK IS A CITY WHICH HAS A PRETTY HIGH CRIME RATE, INCLUDING THE OCCASIONAL SHOOTING AND HAS THE DUBIOUS DISTINCTION OF BEING THE 38^TH MOST DANGEROUS CITY IN THE UNITED STATES. NOT REALLY OUR PROBLEM. WE KNOW THERE ARE A LOT OF POOR PEOPLE IN SPRINGFIELD – SOME OF US PASS STREET PEOPLE EVERY DAY AS WE GO INTO OUR OFFICES. HOW MANY POOR PEOPLE CAN YOU COUNT AMONG YOUR FRIENDS? IF YOU ARE LIKE ME, THE ANSWER IS PRETTY CLOSE TO ZERO. AND WHEN YOU DON'T COME INTO CONTACT WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE POOR, WHEN YOU DON'T INTERACT WITH THEM AS HUMAN TO HUMAN, YOU ARE KIND OF LIKE THE RICH MAN IN JESUS' STORY. DAY AFTER DAY YOU BUILD A GULF BETWEEN YOU AND THE VAST MAJORITY OF HUMANITY – BECAUSE, LET'S FACE IT, MOST OF HUMANITY ARE POOR COMPARED TO US. AND EVENTUALLY THAT GULF BECOMES SO LARGE THAT IT CAN'T BE CROSSED, AND WE SUDDENLY FIND THAT WE ARE ETERNALLY SEPARATED FROM OUR BROTHERS – JUST THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT JESUS WANTED, WHO CAME INTO THE WORLD TO MAKE US ONE PEOPLE, ONE BODY.

DOES JESUS WANT US ALL TO HAVE JUST WHAT WE NEED AND NO MORE? IS HE A SOCIALIST WHO WANTS THE STATE TO TAKE FROM THE RICH AND GIVE TO THE POOR UNTIL EVERYONE IS EQUAL? OR IS HE A CAPITALIST WHO ADVOCATES THAT EXCEPT FOR A MINIMUM SAFETY NET TO KEEP PEOPLE FROM STARVING ON THE STREET, IT'S EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF?

I THINK NEITHER IS TRUE. JESUS LOVES THE POOR, AND WANTS THEM NOT JUST TO HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT AND A PLACE TO GET OUT OF THE COLD. HE WANTS THEM TO HAVE THE POSSIBILITY OF BECOMING MORE FULLY HUMAN, OF ACHIEVING THEIR POTENTIAL AS HUMAN BEINGS. HE WANTS HIS BROTHERS AND SISTERS TO HAVE POWER, FREEDOM, SECURITY, AND THE ABILITY TO DO THINGS FOR THOSE WE LOVE. BUT JESUS LOVES THE RICH AS WELL, AND WANTS THEM TO TEAR DOWN THE WALL THEY ARE BUILDING, SO THAT THE GULF DOES NOT BECOME UNCROSSABLE.

AND THAT'S THE WORLD IN WHICH WE ARE PLACED, A WORLD WHERE UNDER IDEAL CIRCUMSTANCES THE RICH HELP THE POOR TO REACH THEIR POTENTIAL, AND THE POOR HELP THE RICH TO STAY CONNECTED TO THE HUMAN RACE.

MOST OF US IN LONGMEADOW ARE RICH, COMPARED TO THE REST OF HUMANITY. AND MOST OF US DON'T HAVE ANY REAL FRIENDS AMONG THE POOR. SOMETIMES WE ARE GENEROUS, WE GIVE THEM MONEY, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, BUT THEY REMAIN AN ABSTRACTION, AND WE DON'T SEE THEM AS BROTHERS AND SISTERS.

I WONDER WHAT MIGHT HAVE BECOME OF MY GRANDFATHER IF SOMEONE WITH WEALTH HAD TAKEN AN INTEREST IN HIM WHEN HE WAS A TEENAGER OR A YOUNG MAN JUST STARTING OUT? HE MIGHT HAVE DONE A LOT BETTER IN LIFE, AND IN TURN MAY HAVE HELPED SOMEONE ELSE, AND THE WORLD WOULD BE A BETTER PLACE.

I GUESS WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY IS THAT THE TRAGEDY OF POVERTY IS THAT SO MANY FAIL TO REACH THEIR POTENTIAL, SO THAT THEY COULD BE A BLESSING RATHER THAN A BURDEN TO THEIR FELLOW MEN. AND THE TRAGEDY OF BEING WEALTHY IS THAT WE ARE IN DANGER OF NOT BEING A BLESSING TO OUR FELLOW MAN.

FOR THE RICH MAN IN THE PARABLE, IT'S TOO LATE. FOR YOU AND I, NOT YET. HOW ARE YOU PERSONALLY GOING TO CHANGE YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO YOUR OWN WEALTH? BECAUSE IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY AT YOUR LAZARUS, YOU WILL SEE THAT HIS FACE IS THE FACE OF JESUS.

Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

LUKE 16:1-13

THIS IS SURE A CONFUSING PARABLE. IS JESUS TELLING US THAT WHAT THE DISHONEST STEWARD DID WAS WORTHY OF PRAISE? IS HE TELLING US TO MAKE FRIENDS WITH WORLDLY WEALTH IF WE HOPE TO BE WELCOMED INTO OUR ETERNAL HOMES? HE SEEMS TO BE TELLING US THAT THE WORLDLY ARE SMARTER THAN THE CHILDREN OF THE LIGHT – I THINK, I HOPE HE MEANS YOU AND I WHEN HE TALKS ABOUT THE CHILDREN OF LIGHT.

IF YOU ARE CONFUSED BY THIS PARABLE, YOU AREN'T ALONE. BIBLICAL SCHOLARS, THEOLOGIANS AND PREACHERS HAVE COME TO DIFFERENT CONCLUSIONS. ONE FAMOUS SCHOLAR COMMENTED THAT WITH RESPECT TO THIS PARABLE, IF YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND IT, DON'T EVEN TRY TO FIGURE IT OUT, BECAUSE PARABLES ARE MEANT TO BE UNDERSTOOD. I GUESS HE WAS SAYING THAT EVEN JESUS CAN'T HIT THE NAIL EVERY TIME.

SO YOU CAN PICK AND CHOOSE HOW YOU UNDERSTAND THIS PARABLE. BUT I'M GOING TO JUST GO INTO A A LITTLE HISTORY AND A LITTLE LANGUAGE LESSON FOR A MINUTE, SO BEAR WITH ME.

FIRST, WE ARE READING A TRANSLATION FROM THE GREEK THAT WAS SPOKEN AND WRITTEN IN JESUS' TIME. THOSE WRITERS OF COURSE WERE TRANSLATING FROM ARAMAIC, THE LANGUAGE JESUS ACTUALLY SPOKE. A TRANSLATOR ALWAYS HAS TO DECIDE WHICH WORD TO USE, IF A GIVEN WORD CAN BE TRANSLATED IN DIFFERENT WAYS. “DISHONEST” FOR EXAMPLE, CAN BE TRANSLATED AS “UNJUST” OR “UNRIGHTEOUS”. “SHREWD” CAN BE TRANSLATED AS “WISE”. IN THE TEXT IT SAYS “HIS MASTER COMMENDED HIM” BUT IN THE GREEK TEXT, THE WORD FOR MASTER AND THE WORD FOR LORD ARE THE SAME, AND THERE IS NO “HIS” IN THE GREEK. THE GREEK OF JESUS' DAY DIDN'T USE CAPITALS AND SMALL LETTERS, PERIODS OR COMMAS, AND SPACES BETWEEN WORDS. THAT'S WHY THERE WERE SCRIBES ALL OVER THE MEDITERRANEAN, AND ONLY A FEW PEOPLE WERE LITERATE. IT TOOK TRAINING AND HARD WORK TO TAKE WHAT WAS WRITTEN AND TURN IT BACK INTO HUMAN SPEECH, AND THE PROFESSION OF SCRIBE WAS AN IMPORTANT ONE, REGARDLESS OF THE LANGUAGE.

THE SECOND THING IS THAT JESUS IS SPEAKING TO THE PHARISEES, AND THE VERY NEXT LINE AFTER THIS PARABLE WHICH DOES NOT APPEAR IN THE READING IS THAT THE PHARISEES, WHO IT IS SAID WERE LOVERS OF MONEY, BECAME ANGRY WITH HIM. IN JEWISH LAW, YOU COULDN'T CHARGE INTEREST ON A LOAN; BUT IT WAS COMMON PRACTICE FOR PHARISEES TO GET AROUND THIS RULE; AND ONE WAY WAS TO LOAN THE MONEY AT NO INTEREST, UNDER THE CONDITION THAT WHEN IT WAS RETURNED, MONEY WOULD BE GIVEN TO THE MANAGER OR STEWARD. THE BOSS, IN OTHER WORDS, GOT THOSE WHO OWED HIM MONEY TO PAY HIS HELP.

SO WE HAVE A STEWARD THAT WAS INVOLVED IN HIS MASTER'S DISHONESTY. HE MUST HAVE DONE SOMETHING THAT MADE THE MASTER DECIDE TO FIRE HIM, BUT WE DON'T KNOW WHAT. HE THEN TAKES WHAT WOULD BE COMING TO HIM FROM THE LOANS, AND FORGIVES THAT PART OF THE LOAN – 50 PERCENT FOR OLIVE OIL, 20 PERCENT FOR GRAIN. THOSE NUMBERS, BY THE WAY, WERE TYPICAL OF THE TIMES. AND THE LORD COMMENDS THE UNJUST STEWARD FOR USING HIS WEALTH FOR HIS FUTURE WELL BEING.

JESUS TELLS US TO MAKE FRIENDS WITH WORLDLY WEALTH SO THAT WHEN IT IS GONE WE WILL BE WELCOMED INTO ETERNAL HOMES. WHO CAN WELCOME US BUT GOD? THE UNJUST STEWARD, WHEN FACED WITH A CRISIS, USED HIS OWN WEALTH TO MAKE THE DEBTORS OF HIS MASTER MORE LIKELY TO WELCOME HIM INTO THEIR HOMES. WE ARE FACED WITH THIS KIND OF DECISION EVERY DAY – HOW DO WE USE OUR WEALTH?

JESUS TELLS US THAT IF WE ARE FAITHFUL IN SMALL MATTERS, WE WILL BE FAITHFUL IN LARGE, AND IF WE ARE DISHONEST IN SMALL MATTERS, WE WILL BE DISHONEST IN LARGE. THAT SOUNDS LOGICAL, BUT A LOT OF THE TIME, WE ARE DISHONEST IN SMALL MATTERS, AND STILL EXPECT THAT WHEN A REAL CRISIS COMES WE WILL BE FAITHFUL. HOW ARE WE DISHONEST IN SMALL MATTERS? WE MAKE PROMISES TO GOD AND TO EACH OTHER THAT WE HAVE NO INTENTION OF KEEPING. WE TELL OUR SPOUSE THAT WE ARE GOING TO QUIT SPENDING SUNDAYS WATCHING FOOTBALL ALL DAY. WE PROMISE TO PUT GAS IN THE CAR WHEN IT IS RUNNING ON EMPTY AND WE DON'T. TRIVIAL THINGS, OF COURSE, BUT DISHONEST IN SMALL MATTERS. AND WE MAKE PROMISES TO GOD ABOUT OUR SPIRITUAL LIVES, AND FORGET THEM UNTIL THE NEXT TIME WE MAKE THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE. MOST OF US ARE NOT GOING TO BE MARTYRED FOR OUR FAITH THIS WEEK. BUT WE ARE GOING TO HAVE MANY OCCASIONS WHERE WE ARE CALLED TO DO LITTLE THINGS, AND FIND THAT IT IS EASY TO NOT DO THEM, OR DO THEM POORLY. A FAITHFUL PERSON, LIKE MARY OUR MOTHER, DOES EVERYTHING TO THE BEST OF HIS OR HER ABILITY.

JESUS TELLS US THAT WE CAN'T SERVE TWO MASTERS. MAYBE THE UNJUST STEWARD, WHO HAD BEEN PARTICIPATING IN HIS MASTER'S DISHONESTY, HAS NOW IN THE FACE OF HIS CRISIS, TRANSFERRED HIS LOYALTY TO GOD'S LAW. MAYBE. I THINK ALL OF US HERE WANT TO FOLLOW GOD'S LAW. BUT IF YOU ARE LIKE ME, YOU WANT TO DO THIS ON YOUR OWN TERMS. WHEN PUSH COMES TO SHOVE, I OFTEN HAVE TO CHOOSE BETWEEN WHAT I WANT AND WHAT I AM PRETTY SURE GOD WANTS – AND MUCH OF THE TIME I END UP CHOOSING WHAT I WANT. IT ISN'T THAT I WANT SOMETHING EVIL OR WRONG; BUT OFTEN IT'S A CHOICE BETWEEN DOING SOMETHING I NEED TO DO AS A FATHER, A HUSBAND, A DEACON A CITIZEN; AND CHOOSING INSTEAD TO WATCH A LITTLE TV, OR SURF THE INTERNET, OR DOING SOMETHING ELSE THAT ENTERTAINS ME. THOSE THINGS AREN'T WRONG, BUT THEY DO TAKE ENERGY AND TIME, AND WE ALWAYS HAVE TO ASK WHETHER WE ARE SERVING GOD OR MAMMON.

SO I THINK THIS PARABLE MAKES A LITTLE MORE SENSE WHEN YOU SEE IT THIS WAY. JESUS, NOT THE MASTER, COMMENDS THE STEWARD, WHO WAS UNJUST – BECAUSE HE WENT ALONG WITH HIS MASTER'S VIOLATION OF THE LAW AGAINST USURY, JUST AS THE PHARISEES DID. AFTER ALL A LOAN RATE OF 20% OR 50% IS PRETTY UNJUST, EVEN FOR CREDIT CARD DEBT TODAY. AND WHEN HE HAD TO, HE DECIDED TO USE HIS OWN WEALTH INTELLIGENTLY, TO SAFEGUARD HIS FUTURE. AND JESUS REMINDS US OF THE FACT THAT THERE WILL COME A TIME WHEN OUR EARTHLY WEALTH WILL BE NO MORE – WILL WE HAVE USED IT TO GUARANTEE AN ETERNAL HOME? WILL WE USE WHAT IS OURS FAITHFULLY OR DISHONESTLY? WILL WE WHOLEHEARTEDLY GIVE OURSELVES TO GOD, OR HOLD BACK, BECAUSE LEARNING TO LIVE IN HIS WILL INSTEAD OF OUR OWN IS VERY SCARY AND EVEN GREAT SAINTS STRUGGLED WITH THIS TO THE ENDS OF THEIR LIVES.

NEVERTHELESS, WE CAN TAKE HOPE FROM THE PARABLE OF THE UNJUST STEWARD. IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO CHANGE OUR WAYS.

Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle C

LUKE 15:1-32

PEOPLE DOWN THROUGH THE AGES HAVE PUZZLED OVER GOD. DOES HE EXIST? IF HE EXISTS, WHAT CAN WE SAY ABOUT HIM? WE OFTEN SAY HE IS ALL-POWERFUL, HE IS ALL-WISE, HE IS ALL-GOOD, HE IS COMPLETELY FULFILLED, COMPLETELY HAPPY, IN HIMSELF AND NEEDS NOTHING ELSE. BUT THEN WE COME TO THE LOGICAL CONCLUSION THAT GOD IS UNCHANGEABLE, BECAUSE ANY CHANGE WOULD MEAN THAT THERE WAS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HOW GOD WAS BEFORE THE CHANGE AND AFTER THE CHANGE, AND AT LEAST ONE OF THOSE THINGS WE SAID ABOUT HIM WOULD NOT BE TRUE. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY IDEAS TOSSED AROUND ABOUT HOW GOD CAN HAVE ALL THESE ATTRIBUTES AND YET HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE UNIVERSE. PEOPLE DON'T CREATE THINGS UNLESS THEY FEEL A NEED FOR THEM – AND GOD BY DEFINITION HAS ALL THAT HE NEEDS IN HIMSELF.

SO PEOPLE HAVE COME UP WITH DIFFERENT IDEAS – THERE ARE MANY GODS AND EACH OF THEM IS NOT PERFECT, POWERFUL, AND SO ON. THERE ARE TWO BEINGS, A GOOD GOD AND AN EVIL BEING WHO FIGHTS WITH THE GOOD GOD. THIS HAS BEEN SO FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE UNIVERSE, AND WE CAN'T KNOW MORE THAN THAT. OR GOD IS “BIPOLAR” – IN HIMSELF HE IS ALL THOSE THINGS WE SAID, BUT SINCE WE ARE IN TIME AND GOD IS NOT, TO US IT SEEMS AS THOUGH GOD HAS LIMITATIONS, THAT HE CHANGES, THAT HE RESPONDS TO EVENTS. EVEN THE IDEA OF GOD AS TRINITY, OUR CHRISTIAN BELIEF, IS A WAY OF RESPONDING TO THIS PROBLEM OUR HUMAN MINDS CAN'T FIGURE OUT – WHAT CAN WE SAY ABOUT GOD THAT IS TRUE?

TODAY JESUS GIVES US THREE PARABLES, WHICH DESCRIBE GOD. AND WE LEARN AT LEAST THAT HE IS NOT LIKE HUMAN BEINGS.

FIRST, HE IS LIKE A SHEPHERD – HE LOOKS AFTER HIS SHEEP, HE GUIDES THEM AND FEEDS THEM AND PROTECTS THEM. BUT UNLIKE A HUMAN SHEPHERD, HE DOES SOMETHING VERY STRANGE – HE LEAVES HIS FLOCK IN SEARCH OF A STRAY. AND WHEN HE FINDS THE SHEEP, HE REJOICES, AND CALLS THE OTHER SHEPHERDS TO HAVE A PARTY. CERTAINLY THAT ISN'T THE WAY A HUMAN BEING BEHAVES. WE WOULDN'T GO HUNTING A LOST SHEEP IF IT PUT THE REST OF THE FLOCK IN DANGER; WE'D FIND SOME WAY TO PROTECT THAT FLOCK, OR IF WE COULDN'T WE'D GIVE THE SHEEP UP FOR LOSS. BETTER TO LOSE ONE SHEEP THAN THE WHOLE FLOCK, RIGHT?

SECOND, HE IS LIKE A WOMAN WHO HAS LOST ONE OF TEN COINS. SHE SWEEPS THE FLOOR UNTIL SHE FINDS IT AND THEN THROWS A PARTY. THIS PARABLE IS A LITTLE HARDER TO UNDERSTAND, BECAUSE MONEY DOES NOT MEAN THE SAME THING TO US AS IT DID TO THE PEOPLE IN JESUS' TIME. IN THOSE DAYS, PEOPLE ESPECIALLY POOR PEOPLE, WOULD GO YEARS WITHOUT HANDLING MONEY. THEY TRADED THINGS, THEY TRADED LABOR, THEY GREW THEIR OWN FOOD – AND IF YOU GOT MONEY, YOU WOULD PROBABLY BURY IT IN THE GROUND AGAINST A TIME YOU WOULD NEED IT, LIKE THE SERVANT JESUS TALKS ABOUT. SO OUR WOMAN HAS TEN COINS AND LOSES ONE. SHE DROPS EVERYTHING TO FIND IT. AND WHEN SHE DOES, SHE REJOICES. JESUS DOESN'T ASSIGN A VALUE TO THE COIN. IN OTHER PLACES IN THE GOSPEL PARABLES, HE DOES – AND IT IS A WOMAN WHO IS THE CENTRAL CHARACTER, SO THESE COINS WERE PROBABLY OF LITTLE VALUE. AND YET THE CELEBRATING SEEMS OUT OF PROPORTION – I IMAGINE THE COIN THAT WAS LOST WAS NOT WORTH THE PARTY THAT WAS THROWN.

AND FINALLY JESUS TELLS US THAT FAMOUS STORY OF THE PRODIGAL SON, AND AGAIN, THE FATHER DOES NOT ACT LIKE A HUMAN. FIRST, HE GIVES THE YOUNGER SON HIS INHERITANCE – HE DIDN'T HAVE TO AND MOST FATHERS IN THOSE DAYS WOULDN'T HAVE DONE THIS. AFTER ALL THE INHERITANCE WAS TO BE INHERITED AT THE FATHER'S DEATH. MOST FATHERS WOULD HAVE LAUGHED AT THE YOUNGER SON AND TOLD HIM TO GET BACK TO WORK. AND AFTER THE YOUNGER SON RUNS OFF WITH HIS LOOT, THE FATHER, WE SEE, GOES TO A CERTAIN PLACE EVERY DAY TO WATCH AND WAIT FOR THE SON TO RETURN. AND FINALLY, WHEN THE SON DOES RETURN, THE FATHER THROWS A PARTY. HE DOESN'T WEIGH OUT THE CONSEQUENCES, DEAL OUT PUNISHMENT – ALL HE DOES IS THROW A HUGE PARTY IN THE YOUNGER SON'S HONOR. MOST OF US SYMPATHIZE WITH THE OLDER BROTHER, I THINK.

I THINK THE MESSAGE JESUS WANTS US TO HEAR IS THAT GOD LOVE US UNCONDITIONALLY, WHETHER WE ARE A LOST SHEEP OR A PRODIGAL SON; AND GOD IS WILLING TO MOVE HEAVEN AND EARTH TO BRING US BACK TO HIM, EVEN IF WE AREN'T SURE WE WANT TO GO. IN THESE THREE STORIES AND IN MANY OTHER TEACHINGS OF JESUS WE LEARN THAT GOD IS AN EXTRAVAGANT LOVER. THESE ARE WONDERFUL THOUGHTS. BUT HOW ABOUT REALITY? HOW ABOUT THE OBVIOUS POVERTY AND PREJUDICE AND DISEASE AND JUST PLAIN UNFAIRNESS OF LIFE? THE PEOPLE OF JESUS TIME WERE MORE AWARE OF THIS CONTRAST THAN WE ARE. AFTER ALL, THERE WEREN'T ANY LONGMEADOWS IN FIRST CENTURY PALESTINE. IT HELPS TO REMEMBER THAT THE GOSPELS WERE WRITTEN BETWEEN SIXTY AND 100 YEARS AFTER JESUS DIED. THE CHURCH HAD BEEN AROUND FOR ALL THAT TIME AND THE EVANGELISTS WERE WRITING FROM WITHIN AN EXISTING CHURCH. HOW COULD THEY BELIEVE THAT GOD WAS ALL THAT JESUS SAID HE WAS, WHEN THEY HAD SEEN CHRISTIANS MARTYRED, AND IF NOT MARTYRED, MARGINALIZED IN SOCIETY? HOW COULD THEY BELIEVE THAT GOD WAS AN EXTRAVAGANT LOVER SHOWERING GIFTS ON HIS PEOPLE, WHEN THEY THEMSELVES WERE PERSECUTED, IMPRISONED, AND THEIR LAND AND POSSESSIONS CONFISCATED? TODAY WE LOOK AT THESE PARABLES AND MAYBE WE THINK THEY ARE ALL ABOUT THE NEXT LIFE; BUT THOSE FIRST CHRISTIANS COULD HAVE SPARED THEMSELVES A LOT OF GRIEF BY JUST THROWING A LITTLE INCENSE ON THE STATUES OF THE EMPEROR INSTEAD OF BEING MARTYRED. WHAT EXPLAINS THE DIFFERENCE?

THEY, FAR MORE THAN WE, HAD BEEN TOUCHED BY THE RESURRECTION. IF YOU HADN'T PERSONALLY WITNESSED THAT JESUS HAD BEEN RAISED FROM THE DEAD, SOMEONE YOU KNEW AND TRUSTED INSISTED THAT THIS WAS TRUE. AND SINCE THERE WERE SO MANY PEOPLE WHO HAD MET THE RISEN JESUS, IT WAS HARD NOT TO BELIEVE IT. AND THE POINT IS THAT IN THE RESURRECTION THE GENEROSITY OF GOD, THE EXTRAVAGANCE OF GOD, THE FACT THAT GOD NEVER GIVES UP, IS SHOWN. AND NOW THE PARABLES MAKE SENSE; THEY ARE NOT JUST VAGUE PROMISES ABOUT A FUTURE IN THE NEXT LIFE, BUT THEY HAVE ALREADY BEEN FULFILLED IN THE PASSION, DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS. AND HE PROMISED THAT HIS SERVANTS WOULD BE WHERE HE WAS; HE PROMISED THAT HE WOULD PREPARE A DWELLING PLACE FOR THEM IN HEAVEN; HE PROMISED THAT EVEN THOUGH THEY MIGHT DIE, THEY WOULD LIVE.

WOULD YOU AND I HAVE ACCEPTED THOSE PROMISES, ENOUGH TO GO OFF TO A PAINFUL DEATH SINGING HYMNS? I THINK MOST OF US MIGHT HAVE THROWN A LITTLE INCENSE INTO THE FIRE BURNING BEFORE AN IMAGE OF THE EMPEROR. WE WOULD THINK TO OURSELVES, “THIS IS KIND OF LIKE SALUTING THE FLAG”. BUT THE EARLY CHRISTIANS COULD NOT DO THAT, NOT IN THE FACE OF THE REALITY OF THE RESURRECTION.

SO TODAY JESUS TELLS US SOMETHING ABOUT GOD, AND THAT IS A GOOD THING. BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU AND I? DO WE BELIEVE JESUS ENOUGH TO TRUST HIM, AS DID THOSE FIRST CHRISTIANS? DO WE BELIEVE IN THE RESURRECTION ENOUGH TO CHANGE OUR LIVES, TO REPENT, TO HELP USHER IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN ON THIS EARTH?