LUKE 13:22-30
I READ AN ARTICLE RECENTLY IN WHICH THE AUTHOR SAID THAT MOST PEOPLE DON’T BELIEVE IN GOD. HE SAID THIS HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH WHETHER OR NOT THERE WAS A GOD, IT WAS AN OBSERVATION THAT WAS EASILY PROVEN. IF YOU ARE DRIVING ALONG A ROAD AND SEE A SIGN THAT SAYS “BRIDGE OUT” YOU DON’T KEEP BARRELING ALONG; YOU BELIEVE THE SIGN, YOU STOP YOUR CAR, YOU CHANGE YOUR BEHAVIOR. BUT IF GOD SAYS FOR YOU TO DO SOMETHING OR NOT TO DO IT, MOST PEOPLE DON’T PAY MUCH ATTENTION. THAT DOESN’T MEAN WE ARE ALL NOTORIOUS SINNERS, ALTHOUGH WE CERTAINLY ARE SINNERS, BUT IT DOES MEAN THAT MOST OF US AREN’T MAKING ANY ATTEMPT TO CHANGE OURSELVES IN RESPONSE TO THE TEACHINGS OF JESUS. DOES THAT MEAN WE DON’T BELIEVE IN GOD? WHAT DO YOU THINK?
TODAY JESUS IS ASKED A QUESTION: “LORD, WILL ONLY A FEW PEOPLE BE SAVED?” AND HE DOES NOT ANSWER THE QUESTION. RATHER, HE PAINTS A PICTURE, A PICTURE MUCH MORE FAMILIAR TO HIS HEARERS THAN TO US. BUT LET ME SPEAK ABOUT TWO OTHER GOSPEL PASSAGES FOR A SECOND. IN MATTHEW, AT THE END OF THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT, JESUS TELLS HIS HEARERS TO “ENTER THROUGH THE NARROW GATE, BECAUSE WIDE IS THE GATE AND BROAD THE ROAD THAT LEADS TO DESTRUCTION”. AND IN LUKE, ONLY A FEW SUNDAYS AGO, JESUS TOLD THE PARABLE OF THE PERSISTENT NEIGHBOR WHO KNOCKED ON THE DOOR UNTIL THE HOUSEHOLDER GOT UP TO GET HIM THE BREAD HE HAD REQUESTED. IN TODAY’S GOSPEL PASSAGE, IT SEEMS AS THOUGH JESUS MAY BE CONTRADICTING HIMSELF; HERE THE PEOPLE ARE KNOCKING, AND THEY ARE BEING DENIED ENTRANCE, WHILE OTHERS ARE STREAMING INTO THE BANQUET – THE PATRIARCHS AND THE PROPHETS AND PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER.
TOWNS AND CITIES IN PALESTINE HAD WALLS AROUND THEM. USUALLY THERE WERE ONE OR MORE “GATES” WHICH WERE OPENED IN THE DAY AND CLOSED AT NIGHT. THESE WERE THE WIDE GATES. DURING THE DAY, GUARDS STOOD AT ATTENTION, READY TO CLOSE THE GATES IF THERE WAS A THREAT. BUT THERE WERE OTHER ENTRANCES INTO THE CITY WHICH WERE NARROW; SOMETIMES YOU HAD TO WORK YOUR WAY IN SIDEWAYS, OR STOOP VERY LOW, AND COULD ONLY GET IN ONE AT A TIME. IF YOU WANTED TO GET IN THROUGH A NARROW GATE, NOT ONLY WAS IT A STRUGGLE, BUT YOU HAD TO HAVE SOMEONE ON THE INSIDE WHO WOULD KNOW YOU WERE COMING, OR YOU TOOK A CHANCE THAT YOU WOULD BE HIT WITH A CLUB OR RUN THROUGH WITH A SPEAR.
AND THAT’S THE POINT. THE PEOPLE STANDING ON THE OUTSIDE SAYING THAT THEY HAVE EATEN AND DRUNK IN THE COMPANY OF THE LORD, AND THAT HE HAS TAUGHT IN THEIR STREETS, ARE APPEALING TO THE ONE ON THE INSIDE TO LET THEM IN, TO GIVE THEM SAFE PASSAGE. BUT NOTICE THAT THEY DON’T SAY THEY LEARNED ANYTHING THAT JESUS TAUGHT; THEY PRESUME THAT HE KNOWS THEM BECAUSE HE MOVED AMONG THEM. IT’S NOT OBVIOUS THAT THEY’VE MADE ANY CHANGE IN THEMSELVES. AND JESUS SAYS “I DO NOT KNOW WHERE YOU ARE FROM; DEPART FROM ME, YOU EVILDOERS.” JESUS DOES NOT RECOGNIZE THEM, AND CONSIDERS THEM FOREIGNERS, AND WILL NOT ADMIT THEM TO THE BANQUET.
AND THEY STAY OUTSIDE, FRUSTRATED AND ANGRY, BUT HELPLESS TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT THEIR PREDICAMENT. BUT THE STORY ENDS ON A HOPEFUL NOTE: “FOR BEHOLD, SOME ARE LAST WHO WILL BE FIRST, AND SOME ARE FIRST WHO WILL BE LAST.”
SO KNOCKING WORKS, AS IN THE CASE OF THE PERSISTENT NEIGHBOR, WHEN YOU KNOW THE ONE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE GATE. IT DOESN’T WORK WHEN HE DOESN’T RECOGNIZE YOU, WHEN THERE IS NO RELATIONSHIP.
SO WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS? FIRST, WHEN WE TAKE THIS GOSPEL STORY AND THE SECTION FROM ISAIAH THAT WE HEARD EARLIER, IT’S OBVIOUS THAT GOD WANTS EVERYONE TO COME TO HIS BANQUET. SECOND, YOU CAN’T GET THERE THROUGH THE WIDE GATE. THE WIDE GATE, THE EASY PASSAGE, MIGHT GET YOU INTO THE CITY, BUT THAT ONLY GETS YOU A LITTLE CLOSER TO THE BANQUET. THERE IS NO WAY TO GET INTO THE HALL WITHOUT SOMEONE TO LEAD YOU THERE THROUGH THE NARROW GATE. THIRD, GETTING THROUGH THE NARROW GATE REQUIRES STRIVING – IT’S NOT EASY. THE GREEK WORD FOR STRIVING IS RELATED TO THE ENGLISH WORD “AGONY”. IT’S NOT EASY BECAUSE IT REQUIRES BELIEVING IN GOD, JUST LIKE YOU BELIEVE THE SIGN THAT SAYS THE BRIDGE IS OUT. IT REQUIRES MORE THAN COMING TO CHURCH ON SUNDAY, MORE THAN WISHES; IT REQUIRES A STRUGGLE, TO LEARN WHAT GOD WANTS FOR YOU, AND THEN TO DO IT. THIS MEANS LISTENING TO THE CHURCH, READING THE WORD OF GOD, AND EXAMINING OURSELVES TO SEE WHERE WE CAN CHANGE SO AS TO BE MORE LIKE JESUS CHRIST. THEN JESUS WILL RECOGNIZE US WHEN WE DO GOD’S WILL – AS HE SAID, “THE ONE WHO DOES THE WILL OF THE FATHER IS MY BROTHER AND SISTER AND MOTHER AS WELL”. AND HE WILL HELP US THROUGH THE NARROW GATE, INTO THE BANQUET WHERE PEOPLE WILL STREAM FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD. IF WE AREN’T RECOGNIZED, WELL, WE HAVE TO GO TO THE BACK OF THE LINE AND START OVER AGAIN; SOME WHO ARE FIRST WILL BE LAST. MAYBE WE WILL HAVE ANOTHER CHANCE, OR TWO, OR THREE. BUT MAYBE WE ONLY HAVE ONE CHANCE, ONE OPPORTUNITY TO BE RECOGNIZED BY OUR FRIEND ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE NARROW GATE.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Ninteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle C
LUKE 12:32-48
WHEN YOU CHECK YOUR EMAIL, YOU PROBABLY GET A NOTICE IN BROKEN ENGLISH ABOUT ONCE OR TWICE A WEEK TELLING YOU THAT A NIGERIAN LAWYER HAS SEVERAL THOUSAND DOLLARS JUST SITTING THERE WAITING FOR YOU TO CLAIM. IF YOU ARE LIKE ME, YOU DON'T REPLY, YOU JUST DELETE. WE AMERICANS ARE PRETTY SUSPICIOUS ABOUT GETTING SOMETHING FOR NOTHING. WE READ ABOUT PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN SCAMMED AND LOST THEIR LIFE'S SAVINGS.
BUT JESUS TELLS US TODAY THAT WE ARE BEING OFFERED SOMETHING FOR NOTHING – THE KINGDOM WHICH THE FATHER IS PLEASED TO GIVE US. WE DON'T HAVE TO DO A THING; WE DON'T HAVE TO GIVE HIM OUR CREDIT CARD NUMBER OR SEND A FINDER'S FEE.
BUT IT SEEMS LIKE THERE IS A CATCH. WE MAY HAVE THE KINGDOM, BUT BECAUSE OF THAT, CERTAIN THINGS ARE EXPECTED OF US.
THE KEY IS IN THE VERY FIRST WORDS – “DO NOT BE AFRAID ANY LONGER”. HOW MUCH TIME DO WE SPEND BEING AFRAID? I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT SHAKING IN OUR BOOTS FEAR. I'M TALKING ABOUT THE PARADE OF CONCERNS THAT ARE ALMOST NATURAL TO US, AND THAT GO WITH LIVING IN OUR WORLD. I WONDER WHAT THAT NEW PAIN IN MY ARM IS? I AM GOING TO HAVE TO GET MY CAR TO THE SHOP. I HOPE I HAVE ENOUGH MONEY IN THE BANK TO COVER MY BILLS THIS MONTH. I WISH MY DAUGHTER WOULD CALL. LIKE BACKGROUND MUSIC, THESE LITTLE FEARS OR CONCERNS DANCE THROUGH OUR HEADS, DISTRACTING US, TORMENTING US, KEEPING US FROM BEING FOCUSED. SO JESUS BEGINS BY SAYING, “HERE IS A FACT. YOU ALREADY HAVE THE KINGDOM. THERE ISN'T ANYTHING TO FEAR.”
AND ONCE WE CLEAR AWAY THE FEARS, HE SAYS THAT INSTEAD OF SPENDING SO MUCH SPIRITUAL ENERGY ON ALL THOSE LITTLE THINGS THAT WILL NEVER MATTER IN THE LONG RUN, SINCE WE ALREADY POSSESS THE KINGDOM, WE CAN LIVE THERE, WE CAN PUT OUR HEARTS THERE, AND KNOW THAT WHAT WE DO IN THE KINGDOM IS PERMANENT; IT WILL BE LIKE A TREASURE THAT NEVER FADES AWAY.
A STORY: IN A VILLAGE LIVED A HANDYMAN, AND ONE NIGHT AN ANGEL CAME AND SAID “I'VE COME TO BRING YOU TO THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.” THE HANDYMAN REPLIED, “COULD YOU COME BACK LATER? I HAVE TO FIX MY NEIGHBOR'S ROOF; SHE'S A WIDOW AND CAN'T DO IT HERSELF.” THE ANGEL LEFT. A WHILE LATER, HE RETURNED. THE HANDYMAN BEGGED OFF AGAIN, SAYING, “I DON'T WANT TO SEEM UNGRATEFUL, BUT I PROMISED TO HELP A FARMERS GET IN HIS CROP. HE BROKE HIS LEG AND CAN'T DO IT HIMSELF.” THE ANGEL LEFT AGAIN. THIS WENT ON FOR YEARS, UNTIL FINALLY THE HANDYMAN WAS OLD AND TIRED. THE ANGEL APPEARED AND THE HANDYMAN SAID, “I'M READY NOW. TAKE ME TO THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.” THE ANGEL LAUGHED. “WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'VE BEEN FOR THE LAST FIFTY YEARS?”
AND JESUS CAUTIONS US. IT'S IMPORTANT TO BE READY. SOME PEOPLE WOULD SAY THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO BE READY BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW WHEN WE ARE GOING TO DIE OR WHEN OUR WORLD WILL END, AND IF WE ARE CAUGHT UNAWARES, WE COULD BE REALLY SORRY, SORRY FOR ALL ETERNITY. BUT I THINK JESUS IS SAYING LIVE AS THOUGH EVERY MINUTE IS YOUR LAST, BECAUSE THEN YOU WILL LIVE FULLY, YOU WILL TREASURE EVERY MOMENT YOU ARE GIVEN; YOU WILL JUDGE ALL YOUR ACTIONS BY THE STANDARD – IS THIS WHAT I SHOULD BE DOING WITH THE PRECIOUS TIME I'M GIVEN, WITH THE FINITE ENERGY I HAVE? IT'S A GREAT WAY TO EXAMINE YOUR CONSCIENCE.
ONCE A FRIAR ASKED SAINT FRANCIS WHAT HE WOULD DO IF HE FOUND OUT THAT HE ONLY HAD A DAY TO LIVE? HE REPLIED, “FIRST, I'D FINISH HOEING THIS GARDEN.” FRANCIS HAD EXAMINED HIS OPTIONS IN THE LIGHT OF THAT POSSIBILITY, AND DECIDED LONG BEFORE THE QUESTION WAS POSED, THAT THIS WAS WHAT HE WAS SUPPOSED TO DO AT THAT TIME. IT ISN'T THAT WE HAVE TO DO SPECTACULAR OR PROFOUND THINGS; IT'S THAT WE HAVE TO BE MINDFUL OF HOW WE USE OUR TIME, HOW WE SPEND OUR ENERGY. EVEN HUMBLE TASKS ARE AT HOME IN GOD'S KINGDOM. RECREATION IS ESPECIALLY AT HOME, BECAUSE ONLY IN RECREATION CAN WE APPRECIATE BEAUTY, WHICH IS A MAJOR ATTRIBUTE OF GOD. WE ARE ALL AWARE OF USING TIME BADLY. I'M NOT GOING TO GIVE YOU A LIST, BECAUSE IF YOU ARE LIKE ME, AND YOU ARE, YOU ALREADY KNOW WHEN YOU ARE “WASTING” TIME; AND WHEN YOU WASTE TIME, YOU ARE NOT READY FOR THE KINGDOM.
AND FINALLY, JESUS TELLS US THAT IF WE ARE GIVEN MUCH, MUCH IS EXPECTED OF US. JESUS HAS JUST USED THE IMAGE OF THE MASTER MAKING HIS FAITHFUL SERVANTS SIT DOWN AT THE BANQUET AND THEN WAITING ON THEM. NOW HE INDICATES THAT THIS IS THE ROLE OF HIS FOLLOWERS AS WELL – TO DISTRIBUTE THE FOOD ALLOWANCE AT THE PROPER TIME TO ONE'S FELLOW SERVANTS. IT'S A GREAT IMAGE. WE CAN USE WHAT WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR FELLOW SERVANTS, OR WE CAN ABUSE THEM BY IGNORING THEIR NEEDS, BY HOARDING WHAT WE HAVE ACCUMULATED. SO I HAVE ONE MORE STORY.
A RICH UNCLE LEFT A YOUNG COUPLE A MILLION DOLLARS. THEY TALKED ABOUT IT AND DECIDED THAT SINCE THEY DIDN'T EXPECT IT, AND SINCE THEY HAD GOOD CAREERS AND WOULD PROBABLY NEVER REALLY NEED THE MONEY, THEY WOULD GIVE IT AWAY. SO THEY WENT TO THEIR PASTOR AND OFFERED TO GIVE IT TO THE CHURCH. THE PASTOR TOLD THEM HE WOULDN'T ACCEPT IT, AND THEY WERE NOT TO GIVE IT AWAY TO ANYONE ELSE, BUT RATHER, GO HOME AND THINK ABOUT IT SOME MORE. SO THEY DID. THEY WENT BACK AND SAID THEY HADN'T CHANGED THEIR MINDS. THE PASTOR THEN TOLD THEM THAT IF THEY REALLY DIDN'T WANT THE MONEY, THEY SHOULD GIVE AWAY A LITTLE AT A TIME, ALL THROUGH THEIR LIVES, BECAUSE THEY WOULD DO A LOT MORE GOOD FOR OTHERS AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, FOR THEMSELVES THAN IF THEY GAVE IT ALL AWAY AT ONCE.
TODAY'S GOSPEL IS ABOUT LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. DON'T LOSE YOUR FOCUS; YOU'VE GOT EVERYTHING THAT MATTERS, THE KINGDOM. SINCE THAT IS THE CASE, CONCENTRATE ON WHAT ADVANCES THE KINGDOM, NOT ON THINGS THAT DON'T MATTER; LIVE AS THOUGH EACH MINUTE IS YOUR LAST – NOT BECAUSE EVERY MOMENT HAS TO BE SPENT IN PRAYER AND GOOD WORKS, BUT BECAUSE THIS IS THE BEST WAY TO JUDGE HOW YOU USE YOUR TIME; AND REMEMBER THAT IF THE MASTER IS GOING TO RETURN AND WAIT ON YOU, YOU SHOULD WAIT ON EACH OTHER UNTIL HE COMES. ISN'T THAT A GREAT GOSPEL? ISN'T THAT GOOD NEWS?
WHEN YOU CHECK YOUR EMAIL, YOU PROBABLY GET A NOTICE IN BROKEN ENGLISH ABOUT ONCE OR TWICE A WEEK TELLING YOU THAT A NIGERIAN LAWYER HAS SEVERAL THOUSAND DOLLARS JUST SITTING THERE WAITING FOR YOU TO CLAIM. IF YOU ARE LIKE ME, YOU DON'T REPLY, YOU JUST DELETE. WE AMERICANS ARE PRETTY SUSPICIOUS ABOUT GETTING SOMETHING FOR NOTHING. WE READ ABOUT PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN SCAMMED AND LOST THEIR LIFE'S SAVINGS.
BUT JESUS TELLS US TODAY THAT WE ARE BEING OFFERED SOMETHING FOR NOTHING – THE KINGDOM WHICH THE FATHER IS PLEASED TO GIVE US. WE DON'T HAVE TO DO A THING; WE DON'T HAVE TO GIVE HIM OUR CREDIT CARD NUMBER OR SEND A FINDER'S FEE.
BUT IT SEEMS LIKE THERE IS A CATCH. WE MAY HAVE THE KINGDOM, BUT BECAUSE OF THAT, CERTAIN THINGS ARE EXPECTED OF US.
THE KEY IS IN THE VERY FIRST WORDS – “DO NOT BE AFRAID ANY LONGER”. HOW MUCH TIME DO WE SPEND BEING AFRAID? I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT SHAKING IN OUR BOOTS FEAR. I'M TALKING ABOUT THE PARADE OF CONCERNS THAT ARE ALMOST NATURAL TO US, AND THAT GO WITH LIVING IN OUR WORLD. I WONDER WHAT THAT NEW PAIN IN MY ARM IS? I AM GOING TO HAVE TO GET MY CAR TO THE SHOP. I HOPE I HAVE ENOUGH MONEY IN THE BANK TO COVER MY BILLS THIS MONTH. I WISH MY DAUGHTER WOULD CALL. LIKE BACKGROUND MUSIC, THESE LITTLE FEARS OR CONCERNS DANCE THROUGH OUR HEADS, DISTRACTING US, TORMENTING US, KEEPING US FROM BEING FOCUSED. SO JESUS BEGINS BY SAYING, “HERE IS A FACT. YOU ALREADY HAVE THE KINGDOM. THERE ISN'T ANYTHING TO FEAR.”
AND ONCE WE CLEAR AWAY THE FEARS, HE SAYS THAT INSTEAD OF SPENDING SO MUCH SPIRITUAL ENERGY ON ALL THOSE LITTLE THINGS THAT WILL NEVER MATTER IN THE LONG RUN, SINCE WE ALREADY POSSESS THE KINGDOM, WE CAN LIVE THERE, WE CAN PUT OUR HEARTS THERE, AND KNOW THAT WHAT WE DO IN THE KINGDOM IS PERMANENT; IT WILL BE LIKE A TREASURE THAT NEVER FADES AWAY.
A STORY: IN A VILLAGE LIVED A HANDYMAN, AND ONE NIGHT AN ANGEL CAME AND SAID “I'VE COME TO BRING YOU TO THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.” THE HANDYMAN REPLIED, “COULD YOU COME BACK LATER? I HAVE TO FIX MY NEIGHBOR'S ROOF; SHE'S A WIDOW AND CAN'T DO IT HERSELF.” THE ANGEL LEFT. A WHILE LATER, HE RETURNED. THE HANDYMAN BEGGED OFF AGAIN, SAYING, “I DON'T WANT TO SEEM UNGRATEFUL, BUT I PROMISED TO HELP A FARMERS GET IN HIS CROP. HE BROKE HIS LEG AND CAN'T DO IT HIMSELF.” THE ANGEL LEFT AGAIN. THIS WENT ON FOR YEARS, UNTIL FINALLY THE HANDYMAN WAS OLD AND TIRED. THE ANGEL APPEARED AND THE HANDYMAN SAID, “I'M READY NOW. TAKE ME TO THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.” THE ANGEL LAUGHED. “WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'VE BEEN FOR THE LAST FIFTY YEARS?”
AND JESUS CAUTIONS US. IT'S IMPORTANT TO BE READY. SOME PEOPLE WOULD SAY THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO BE READY BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW WHEN WE ARE GOING TO DIE OR WHEN OUR WORLD WILL END, AND IF WE ARE CAUGHT UNAWARES, WE COULD BE REALLY SORRY, SORRY FOR ALL ETERNITY. BUT I THINK JESUS IS SAYING LIVE AS THOUGH EVERY MINUTE IS YOUR LAST, BECAUSE THEN YOU WILL LIVE FULLY, YOU WILL TREASURE EVERY MOMENT YOU ARE GIVEN; YOU WILL JUDGE ALL YOUR ACTIONS BY THE STANDARD – IS THIS WHAT I SHOULD BE DOING WITH THE PRECIOUS TIME I'M GIVEN, WITH THE FINITE ENERGY I HAVE? IT'S A GREAT WAY TO EXAMINE YOUR CONSCIENCE.
ONCE A FRIAR ASKED SAINT FRANCIS WHAT HE WOULD DO IF HE FOUND OUT THAT HE ONLY HAD A DAY TO LIVE? HE REPLIED, “FIRST, I'D FINISH HOEING THIS GARDEN.” FRANCIS HAD EXAMINED HIS OPTIONS IN THE LIGHT OF THAT POSSIBILITY, AND DECIDED LONG BEFORE THE QUESTION WAS POSED, THAT THIS WAS WHAT HE WAS SUPPOSED TO DO AT THAT TIME. IT ISN'T THAT WE HAVE TO DO SPECTACULAR OR PROFOUND THINGS; IT'S THAT WE HAVE TO BE MINDFUL OF HOW WE USE OUR TIME, HOW WE SPEND OUR ENERGY. EVEN HUMBLE TASKS ARE AT HOME IN GOD'S KINGDOM. RECREATION IS ESPECIALLY AT HOME, BECAUSE ONLY IN RECREATION CAN WE APPRECIATE BEAUTY, WHICH IS A MAJOR ATTRIBUTE OF GOD. WE ARE ALL AWARE OF USING TIME BADLY. I'M NOT GOING TO GIVE YOU A LIST, BECAUSE IF YOU ARE LIKE ME, AND YOU ARE, YOU ALREADY KNOW WHEN YOU ARE “WASTING” TIME; AND WHEN YOU WASTE TIME, YOU ARE NOT READY FOR THE KINGDOM.
AND FINALLY, JESUS TELLS US THAT IF WE ARE GIVEN MUCH, MUCH IS EXPECTED OF US. JESUS HAS JUST USED THE IMAGE OF THE MASTER MAKING HIS FAITHFUL SERVANTS SIT DOWN AT THE BANQUET AND THEN WAITING ON THEM. NOW HE INDICATES THAT THIS IS THE ROLE OF HIS FOLLOWERS AS WELL – TO DISTRIBUTE THE FOOD ALLOWANCE AT THE PROPER TIME TO ONE'S FELLOW SERVANTS. IT'S A GREAT IMAGE. WE CAN USE WHAT WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR FELLOW SERVANTS, OR WE CAN ABUSE THEM BY IGNORING THEIR NEEDS, BY HOARDING WHAT WE HAVE ACCUMULATED. SO I HAVE ONE MORE STORY.
A RICH UNCLE LEFT A YOUNG COUPLE A MILLION DOLLARS. THEY TALKED ABOUT IT AND DECIDED THAT SINCE THEY DIDN'T EXPECT IT, AND SINCE THEY HAD GOOD CAREERS AND WOULD PROBABLY NEVER REALLY NEED THE MONEY, THEY WOULD GIVE IT AWAY. SO THEY WENT TO THEIR PASTOR AND OFFERED TO GIVE IT TO THE CHURCH. THE PASTOR TOLD THEM HE WOULDN'T ACCEPT IT, AND THEY WERE NOT TO GIVE IT AWAY TO ANYONE ELSE, BUT RATHER, GO HOME AND THINK ABOUT IT SOME MORE. SO THEY DID. THEY WENT BACK AND SAID THEY HADN'T CHANGED THEIR MINDS. THE PASTOR THEN TOLD THEM THAT IF THEY REALLY DIDN'T WANT THE MONEY, THEY SHOULD GIVE AWAY A LITTLE AT A TIME, ALL THROUGH THEIR LIVES, BECAUSE THEY WOULD DO A LOT MORE GOOD FOR OTHERS AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, FOR THEMSELVES THAN IF THEY GAVE IT ALL AWAY AT ONCE.
TODAY'S GOSPEL IS ABOUT LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. DON'T LOSE YOUR FOCUS; YOU'VE GOT EVERYTHING THAT MATTERS, THE KINGDOM. SINCE THAT IS THE CASE, CONCENTRATE ON WHAT ADVANCES THE KINGDOM, NOT ON THINGS THAT DON'T MATTER; LIVE AS THOUGH EACH MINUTE IS YOUR LAST – NOT BECAUSE EVERY MOMENT HAS TO BE SPENT IN PRAYER AND GOOD WORKS, BUT BECAUSE THIS IS THE BEST WAY TO JUDGE HOW YOU USE YOUR TIME; AND REMEMBER THAT IF THE MASTER IS GOING TO RETURN AND WAIT ON YOU, YOU SHOULD WAIT ON EACH OTHER UNTIL HE COMES. ISN'T THAT A GREAT GOSPEL? ISN'T THAT GOOD NEWS?
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle C
LUKE 12:13-21
SOME OF YOU OLD-TIMERS MAY REMEMBER BLACK AND WHITE TELEVISION AND THE PROGRAM “TWILIGHT ZONE”. EVERY WEEK A DIFFERENT STORY WOULD BE PRESENTED; IT WAS ALWAYS SPOOKY AND ALMOST NEVER HAD A HAPPY ENDING. I STILL REMEMBER ONE STORY. THE WORLD WAS ON THE BRINK OF NUCLEAR WAR. THE UNITED STATES AND RUSSIA HAD JUST GIVEN UP ON YET ANOTHER ATTEMPT TO WORK OUT A PEACE TREATY. IT LOOKED HOPELESS, AND THE MAIN CHARACTER IN THE STORY HAD BUILT AN ELABORATE BOMB SHELTER THAT COULD KEEP HIM AND HIS FAMILY ALIVE FOR THIRTY YEARS. HE SUSPECTED THAT AFTER THE NUCLEAR WAR THE FEW SURVIVORS WOULD BE SAVAGES, AND IF THEY DISCOVERED HIM, THEY WOULD STOP AT NOTHING TO GET INTO THE BOMB SHELTER AND TAKE EVERYTHING HE HAD, SO HE DESIGNED IT SO THAT THERE WOULD BE NO WAY ANYONE COULD COMMUNICATE WITH HIM FROM THE OUTSIDE. HE FIGURED THIRTY YEARS WOULD BE ABOUT LONG ENOUGH TO MAKE SURE THAT THE RADIOACTIVITY FROM THE BOMBS HAD GOTTEN DOWN TO MANAGEABLE LEVELS, AND THE REMAINS OF THE HUMAN RACE WOULD HAVE EITHER DESTROYED EACH OTHER OR STARTED CIVILIZATION ANEW. AND HE PLANNED TO EMERGE AND WITH HIS SUPERIOR TECHNOLOGY HE WAS SURE HE COULD LIVE OUT HIS LIFE WITHOUT PROBLEMS. AS HE TRIED TO URGE HIS WIFE AND KIDS INTO THE SHELTER, THEY REBELLED, AND SO HE WENT IN HIMSELF. THIRTY YEARS WENT BY, AND WHEN HE CAME OUT IT WAS TO A BEAUTIFUL WORLD WHERE EVERYTHING WAS PERFECT, AND HE WAS GREETED BY HIS WIFE, WHO HADN'T AGED, AND HIS KIDS, WHO WERE YOUNG ADULTS. JUST BEFORE THE NUCLEAR HOLOCAUST, THE WORLD WAS VISITED BY PEOPLE FROM OUTER SPACE, WHO GAVE THE WORLD MIRACULOUS GIFTS – CLEAN ENERGY WITHOUT LIMIT, MACHINES THAT MADE WORK AND POVERTY A THING OF THE PAST; AND MEDICINES THAT CURED ALL HUMAN ILLS, AND GAVE PEOPLE IMMORTALITY. THE ONLY LIMIT WAS THAT THE MEDICINES ONLY WORKED ON PEOPLE WHO WERE 50 YEARS OLD OR YOUNGER.
JESUS ISN'T AGAINST RICH PEOPLE. THE MAN IN TODAY'S STORY IS RICH, BUT THERE ISN'T ANY INDICATION HE GOT HIS WEALTH IN ANY WAY THAT HURT OTHER PEOPLE. AND IF YOU REMEMBER THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS, THE RICH MAN SPEAKS TO ABRAHAM, WHO IS IN HEAVEN, AND ABRAHAM WAS ONE OF THE RICHEST PEOPLE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. BUT JESUS SAYS THAT GOD CALLS HIM A FOOL. WHY?
IN OUR ENGLISH BIBLE THE WORD “FOOL” APPEARS IN MANY PLACES. BUT IN GREEK, THREE DIFFERENT WORDS ARE TRANSLATED AS FOOL. ONE MEANS, ROUGHLY, TO BE UNTELLIGENT. THE SECOND MEANS ROUGHLY, TO BE CARELESS. AND A THIRD MEANS LITERALLY, TO MISINTERPRET, TO BELIEVE WRONGLY. AND IT IS THIS THIRD MEANING THAT JESUS EMPLOYS HERE.
LISTEN TO THE RICH MAN. IN HIS SPEECH, HE SAYS “I” OR “ME” OR USES THE WORD “YOU” ABOUT HIMSELF, FIFTEEN TIMES. YOU GET THE FEELING THAT FOR HIM THERE IS NO ONE ELSE IN HIS LIFE, AT LEAST NO ONE WHO MATTERS. HE IS SO INTO HIMSELF THAT HE EVEN TALKS ABOUT WHAT HE IS GOING TO SAY TO HIMSELF WHEN HE GETS HIS NEW BARNS BUILT AND HIS HARVEST PUT AWAY – “THEN I SHALL STORE MY GRAIN AND OTHER GOODS AND SHALL SAY TO MYSELF, 'NOW, AS FOR YOU, YOU HAVE SO MANY GOOD THINGS STORED UP FOR MANY YEARS, REST, EAT, DRINK, AND BE MERRY!'” TO ME THAT SOUNDS A LITTLE PATHOLOGICAL. AND GOD SHOWS HIM HE BELIEVES WRONGLY, HE IS A FOOL. BECAUSE YOU CAN'T CONTROL YOUR LIFE, YOU CAN'T FIND PERFECT SECURITY, NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY TO CONTROL THINGS, THERE IS A CANCER CELL GROWING IN YOU, A DRIVER ON A CELL PHONE WHO DOESN'T SEE YOU, AN ECONOMIC DISASTER THAT DESTROYS THE VALUE OF YOUR SAVINGS – IF YOU THINK THERE IS ANY WAY YOU CAN REACH THAT POINT WHERE YOU CAN REST, EAT, DRINK, AND BE MERRY, YOU MISINTERPRET, YOU BELIEVE WRONGLY, YOU ARE A FOOL.
THE MAN IN THE BOMB SHELTER NOT ONLY SPENT THIRTY YEARS COMPLETELY ALONE, BUT BECAUSE HE LEFT THE REST OF HUMANITY BEHIND, HE MISSED OUT ON THE TRANSFORMATION OF EARTH INTO A PARADISE. I THINK THAT IS SOMETHING LIKE JESUS' MESSAGE HERE.
JESUS IS SPEAKING TO A MAN WHO HAS ONE THING ON HIS MIND – “MAKE MY BROTHER GIVE ME WHAT IS MINE” AND AT THE END OF THE STORY, JESUS SAYS THAT THE BIG MISTAKE IS TO BE “NOT RICH IN WHAT MATTERS TO GOD”.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT MATTERS TO GOD, OR HOW TO BE RICH IN THAT? HERE ARE A FEW THINGS THAT MATTER TO GOD. “BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS, BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO HUNGER AND THIRST FOR JUSTICE.” I DESIRE MERCY, NOT SACRIFICE.” “WHATEVER YOU DO TO THE LEAST OF MY BROTHERS, YOU DO TO ME.” DO YOU KNOW WHAT MATTERS TO GOD? “LET THE CHILDREN ALONE, AND DO NOT HINDER THEM FROM COMING TO ME; FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN BELONGS TO SUCH AS THESE." A LITTLE CHILD NOTICES, A LITTLE CHILD APPRECIATES THE MOMENT, THE BEAUTY OF A FLOWER, THE TASTE OF A STRAWBERRY, THE EMBRACE OF A MOTHER. NO MATTER WHAT YOUR CONDITION, GOD DOES CONSTANTLY SURROUND YOU WITH SIGNS OF HIS LOVE. AND IF YOU FAIL TO NOTICE THEM, THEN YOU ARE POOR IN WHAT MATTERS TO GOD.
THE STORY OF THE RICH FOOL IS NOT ABOUT GREED, OR THE EVILS OF WEALTH. IT IS ABOUT THE WAY THAT OUR DESIRE FOR SECURITY CAN LITERALLY DESTROY OUR HUMANITY, BY DISTRACTING US FROM BECOMING PARTNERS WITH GOD IN BRINGING ABOUT HIS KINGDOM, BY MAKING US IGNORE OUR LOVED ONES, AND BY DISTRACTING US FROM THE SIGNS OF LOVE WITH WHICH GOD SURROUNDS US. AND HOW SAD TO HAVE LIVED OUR LIFE SEEKING SECURITY, AND FINDING AT THE END OF OUR LIFE THAT WE HAVE NO SECURITY, THAT WE HAVE NO TREASURE STORED UP IN HEAVEN.
THERE WAS A POOR WIDOW WHO PUT HER LAST TWO PENNIES IN THE TREASURY OF THE TEMPLE. THERE WAS A RICH FOOL WHO TOOK ALL HIS WEALTH AND STORED IT UP AND PLANNED TO ENJOY HIMSELF FOR MANY YEARS TO COME. AND YOU AND I ARE SOMEWHERE BETWEEN THESE TWO EXTREMES. AND WHAT WILL GOD SAY TO US? “SHE HAS GIVEN MORE THAN ALL THE REST, FOR SHE HAS GIVEN ALL SHE HAS” OR “YOU FOOL, TONIGHT YOUR LIFE WILL BE DEMANDED OF YOU, AND THE THINGS YOU HAVE ACQUIRED, TO WHOM WILL THEY BELONG?”
SOME OF YOU OLD-TIMERS MAY REMEMBER BLACK AND WHITE TELEVISION AND THE PROGRAM “TWILIGHT ZONE”. EVERY WEEK A DIFFERENT STORY WOULD BE PRESENTED; IT WAS ALWAYS SPOOKY AND ALMOST NEVER HAD A HAPPY ENDING. I STILL REMEMBER ONE STORY. THE WORLD WAS ON THE BRINK OF NUCLEAR WAR. THE UNITED STATES AND RUSSIA HAD JUST GIVEN UP ON YET ANOTHER ATTEMPT TO WORK OUT A PEACE TREATY. IT LOOKED HOPELESS, AND THE MAIN CHARACTER IN THE STORY HAD BUILT AN ELABORATE BOMB SHELTER THAT COULD KEEP HIM AND HIS FAMILY ALIVE FOR THIRTY YEARS. HE SUSPECTED THAT AFTER THE NUCLEAR WAR THE FEW SURVIVORS WOULD BE SAVAGES, AND IF THEY DISCOVERED HIM, THEY WOULD STOP AT NOTHING TO GET INTO THE BOMB SHELTER AND TAKE EVERYTHING HE HAD, SO HE DESIGNED IT SO THAT THERE WOULD BE NO WAY ANYONE COULD COMMUNICATE WITH HIM FROM THE OUTSIDE. HE FIGURED THIRTY YEARS WOULD BE ABOUT LONG ENOUGH TO MAKE SURE THAT THE RADIOACTIVITY FROM THE BOMBS HAD GOTTEN DOWN TO MANAGEABLE LEVELS, AND THE REMAINS OF THE HUMAN RACE WOULD HAVE EITHER DESTROYED EACH OTHER OR STARTED CIVILIZATION ANEW. AND HE PLANNED TO EMERGE AND WITH HIS SUPERIOR TECHNOLOGY HE WAS SURE HE COULD LIVE OUT HIS LIFE WITHOUT PROBLEMS. AS HE TRIED TO URGE HIS WIFE AND KIDS INTO THE SHELTER, THEY REBELLED, AND SO HE WENT IN HIMSELF. THIRTY YEARS WENT BY, AND WHEN HE CAME OUT IT WAS TO A BEAUTIFUL WORLD WHERE EVERYTHING WAS PERFECT, AND HE WAS GREETED BY HIS WIFE, WHO HADN'T AGED, AND HIS KIDS, WHO WERE YOUNG ADULTS. JUST BEFORE THE NUCLEAR HOLOCAUST, THE WORLD WAS VISITED BY PEOPLE FROM OUTER SPACE, WHO GAVE THE WORLD MIRACULOUS GIFTS – CLEAN ENERGY WITHOUT LIMIT, MACHINES THAT MADE WORK AND POVERTY A THING OF THE PAST; AND MEDICINES THAT CURED ALL HUMAN ILLS, AND GAVE PEOPLE IMMORTALITY. THE ONLY LIMIT WAS THAT THE MEDICINES ONLY WORKED ON PEOPLE WHO WERE 50 YEARS OLD OR YOUNGER.
JESUS ISN'T AGAINST RICH PEOPLE. THE MAN IN TODAY'S STORY IS RICH, BUT THERE ISN'T ANY INDICATION HE GOT HIS WEALTH IN ANY WAY THAT HURT OTHER PEOPLE. AND IF YOU REMEMBER THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS, THE RICH MAN SPEAKS TO ABRAHAM, WHO IS IN HEAVEN, AND ABRAHAM WAS ONE OF THE RICHEST PEOPLE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. BUT JESUS SAYS THAT GOD CALLS HIM A FOOL. WHY?
IN OUR ENGLISH BIBLE THE WORD “FOOL” APPEARS IN MANY PLACES. BUT IN GREEK, THREE DIFFERENT WORDS ARE TRANSLATED AS FOOL. ONE MEANS, ROUGHLY, TO BE UNTELLIGENT. THE SECOND MEANS ROUGHLY, TO BE CARELESS. AND A THIRD MEANS LITERALLY, TO MISINTERPRET, TO BELIEVE WRONGLY. AND IT IS THIS THIRD MEANING THAT JESUS EMPLOYS HERE.
LISTEN TO THE RICH MAN. IN HIS SPEECH, HE SAYS “I” OR “ME” OR USES THE WORD “YOU” ABOUT HIMSELF, FIFTEEN TIMES. YOU GET THE FEELING THAT FOR HIM THERE IS NO ONE ELSE IN HIS LIFE, AT LEAST NO ONE WHO MATTERS. HE IS SO INTO HIMSELF THAT HE EVEN TALKS ABOUT WHAT HE IS GOING TO SAY TO HIMSELF WHEN HE GETS HIS NEW BARNS BUILT AND HIS HARVEST PUT AWAY – “THEN I SHALL STORE MY GRAIN AND OTHER GOODS AND SHALL SAY TO MYSELF, 'NOW, AS FOR YOU, YOU HAVE SO MANY GOOD THINGS STORED UP FOR MANY YEARS, REST, EAT, DRINK, AND BE MERRY!'” TO ME THAT SOUNDS A LITTLE PATHOLOGICAL. AND GOD SHOWS HIM HE BELIEVES WRONGLY, HE IS A FOOL. BECAUSE YOU CAN'T CONTROL YOUR LIFE, YOU CAN'T FIND PERFECT SECURITY, NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY TO CONTROL THINGS, THERE IS A CANCER CELL GROWING IN YOU, A DRIVER ON A CELL PHONE WHO DOESN'T SEE YOU, AN ECONOMIC DISASTER THAT DESTROYS THE VALUE OF YOUR SAVINGS – IF YOU THINK THERE IS ANY WAY YOU CAN REACH THAT POINT WHERE YOU CAN REST, EAT, DRINK, AND BE MERRY, YOU MISINTERPRET, YOU BELIEVE WRONGLY, YOU ARE A FOOL.
THE MAN IN THE BOMB SHELTER NOT ONLY SPENT THIRTY YEARS COMPLETELY ALONE, BUT BECAUSE HE LEFT THE REST OF HUMANITY BEHIND, HE MISSED OUT ON THE TRANSFORMATION OF EARTH INTO A PARADISE. I THINK THAT IS SOMETHING LIKE JESUS' MESSAGE HERE.
JESUS IS SPEAKING TO A MAN WHO HAS ONE THING ON HIS MIND – “MAKE MY BROTHER GIVE ME WHAT IS MINE” AND AT THE END OF THE STORY, JESUS SAYS THAT THE BIG MISTAKE IS TO BE “NOT RICH IN WHAT MATTERS TO GOD”.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT MATTERS TO GOD, OR HOW TO BE RICH IN THAT? HERE ARE A FEW THINGS THAT MATTER TO GOD. “BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS, BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO HUNGER AND THIRST FOR JUSTICE.” I DESIRE MERCY, NOT SACRIFICE.” “WHATEVER YOU DO TO THE LEAST OF MY BROTHERS, YOU DO TO ME.” DO YOU KNOW WHAT MATTERS TO GOD? “LET THE CHILDREN ALONE, AND DO NOT HINDER THEM FROM COMING TO ME; FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN BELONGS TO SUCH AS THESE." A LITTLE CHILD NOTICES, A LITTLE CHILD APPRECIATES THE MOMENT, THE BEAUTY OF A FLOWER, THE TASTE OF A STRAWBERRY, THE EMBRACE OF A MOTHER. NO MATTER WHAT YOUR CONDITION, GOD DOES CONSTANTLY SURROUND YOU WITH SIGNS OF HIS LOVE. AND IF YOU FAIL TO NOTICE THEM, THEN YOU ARE POOR IN WHAT MATTERS TO GOD.
THE STORY OF THE RICH FOOL IS NOT ABOUT GREED, OR THE EVILS OF WEALTH. IT IS ABOUT THE WAY THAT OUR DESIRE FOR SECURITY CAN LITERALLY DESTROY OUR HUMANITY, BY DISTRACTING US FROM BECOMING PARTNERS WITH GOD IN BRINGING ABOUT HIS KINGDOM, BY MAKING US IGNORE OUR LOVED ONES, AND BY DISTRACTING US FROM THE SIGNS OF LOVE WITH WHICH GOD SURROUNDS US. AND HOW SAD TO HAVE LIVED OUR LIFE SEEKING SECURITY, AND FINDING AT THE END OF OUR LIFE THAT WE HAVE NO SECURITY, THAT WE HAVE NO TREASURE STORED UP IN HEAVEN.
THERE WAS A POOR WIDOW WHO PUT HER LAST TWO PENNIES IN THE TREASURY OF THE TEMPLE. THERE WAS A RICH FOOL WHO TOOK ALL HIS WEALTH AND STORED IT UP AND PLANNED TO ENJOY HIMSELF FOR MANY YEARS TO COME. AND YOU AND I ARE SOMEWHERE BETWEEN THESE TWO EXTREMES. AND WHAT WILL GOD SAY TO US? “SHE HAS GIVEN MORE THAN ALL THE REST, FOR SHE HAS GIVEN ALL SHE HAS” OR “YOU FOOL, TONIGHT YOUR LIFE WILL BE DEMANDED OF YOU, AND THE THINGS YOU HAVE ACQUIRED, TO WHOM WILL THEY BELONG?”
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle C
LUKE 11:1- 13
THEY SAY THAT GOD ALWAYS ANSWERS OUR PRAYERS. THE ANSWERS ARE YES, NO, NOT RIGHT NOW, AND YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING.
OUR GOSPEL TODAY INVITES US TO THINK ABOUT PRAYER. WHILE I AM SURE THAT GOD HEARS MY PRAYERS, MY OWN EXPERIENCE, WHICH IS PROBABLY YOURS AS WELL, IS THAT GOD DOESN'T USUALLY SAY YES. AND YET, WE ARE ASSURED BY JESUS THAT WHATEVER WE ASK THE FATHER IN HIS NAME WILL BE GRANTED; AND IF WE KNOCK, IT WILL BE OPENED; MANY PASSAGES IN THE GOSPELS AND IN FACT THROUGHOUT SCRIPTURE, INSIST THAT GOD WILL ANSWER OUR PRAYERS.
BUT I THINK IT DEPENDS ON THE PRAYER. FIRST OF ALL, WE CAN'T EXPECT GOD TO CHANGE NATURAL LAW. IF HE CHANGED THE LAWS OF NATURE OR SUSPENDED THEM, EVERY TIME ONE OF US ASKS HIM SOMETHING, THE WORLD WOULD BE PRETTY CHAOTIC. WE'D HAVE RAIN ON THE FARMS AND SUNNY DAYS IN THE CITIES, ALL AT THE SAME TIME. SKIERS WOULD HAVE SNOW AND GOLFERS WOULD HAVE SPRING ALL AT THE SAME TIME. AND THESE EXAMPLES ARE SORT OF SILLY, BUT WE COULD SAY THE SAME THING ABOUT LIFE AND DEATH, ABOUT BEING SPARED FROM HURRICANES AND OTHER NATURAL DISASTERS. GOD WON'T USUALLY SUSPEND HIS OWN LAWS.
SECOND, GOD WON'T TAKE AWAY OUR NATURE AS FREE BEINGS. IF WE ARE FREE TO MAKE CHOICES, THEN THE FREEDOM IS ONLY REAL IF THE CONSEQUENCES OF OUR CHOICES ARE REAL. IF I CHOOSE TO EXERCISE AND EAT RIGHT, I CAN EXPECT MY BODY TO BECOME HEALTHIER. MY CHOICE HAS CONSEQUENCES. BUT IF I CHOOSE TO SMOKE, I CAN EXPECT A HIGHER LIKELIHOOD OF CANCER, HEART DISEASE, EMPHYSEMA, ULCERS, AND BAD COMPLEXION. MY CHOICE HAS CONSEQUENCES. AND IF I PRAY THAT MY CHOICES NOT HAVE THE CONSEQUENCES THAT FOLLOW, THEN I AM PRAYING THAT GOD WILL TAKE AWAY MY FREEDOM, AND HE WON'T. IT'S ONE OF THE GIFTS THAT MAKE US IN HIS IMAGE AND LIKENESS.
SO IF GOD WON'T USUALLY SUSPEND NATURAL LAW, AND WON'T USUALLY SPARE US FROM THE CONSEQUENCES OF OUR FREEDOM, WHAT GOOD IS PRAYER? ARE WE JUST WASTING OUR BREATH? ARE WE JUST GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS? IN HIGH SCHOOL I WENT TO A CATHOLIC SCHOOL, AND BEFORE PLAYING A FOOTBALL GAME WE USED TO GET IN THE HUDDLE AND PRAY THAT WE WOULD WIN, AND THAT NO ONE WOULD GET HURT. GOD HAD ABOUT A 50% RESPONSE RATE TO THAT PRAYER, IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, EVEN WHEN WE WERE PLAYING AGAINST A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEAM.
THE APOSTLES HAVE WITNESSED THAT JESUS SPENDS A LOT OF TIME PRAYING. IT WASN'T UNUSUAL FOR DISCIPLES OF A RABBI TO ASK THEIR TEACHER TO GIVE THEM A PRAYER TO SAY, AND THE DISCIPLES ASK JESUS THE SAME THING – TEACH US TO PRAY. IF WE WERE READING A MORE ACCURATE TRANSLATION OF THIS GOSPEL, WE WOULD HEAR JESUS SAYING, “PRAY IN THIS WAY,” BEFORE HE GIVES THEM THE LORD'S PRAYER. WE SHOULD REMEMBER THAT THE LORD'S PRAYER IS A MODEL OF PRAYER, NOT PRIMARILY MEANT BY JESUS TO BE OUR PRAYER.
AND WE CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT PRAYER BY LOOKING AT THE LORD'S PRAYER. THE FIRST SET OF PETITIONS HAVE TO DO WITH GIVING GOD HIS RIGHTFUL PLACE IN OUR HEARTS AND IN OUR WORLD. BEING HUMAN, OUR FIRST IMPULSE IS TO ASK FOR SOMETHING FOR OURSELVES. BUT JESUS SAYS, PRAY THAT GOD IS PROPERLY HONORED, THAT THE WORLD GO ALONG WITH HIS WILL, AND THAT ALL PEOPLE WILL SUBMIT TO HIS RULE. THAT'S WHAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT. AND HAVING PRAYED FOR THIS, IF WE PRAY SINCERELY, WE PUT OURSELVES IN THE RIGHT FRAME OF MIND AND THE RIGHT RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. THE NEXT SET OF PETITIONS ARE FOR OURSELVES. NOTICE THAT WE DON'T SAY “I” OR “ME”. WE SAY “GIVE US WHAT WE NEED TODAY FOR OUR BODY AND SPIRIT”; WE PRAY THAT WE WILL BE FORGIVEN – FORGIVEN AS WE FORGIVE OTHERS, BUT FORGIVEN FOR ALL THOSE TIMES THAT WE HAVE GONE AGAINST GOD'S WILL. WE PRAY THAT WE WILL BE KEPT FROM FURTHER SIN, AND THAT THINGS THAT WILL TRULY HARM US WILL BE KEPT FROM US. REMEMBER THAT JESUS TOLD US NOT TO FEAR WHAT CAN KILL THE BODY, BUT WHAT DESTROYS THE SOUL. THAT'S WHAT WE WANT TO AVOID.
YOU'LL NOTICE THAT THE LORD'S PRAYER IS FIRST OF ALL, ABOUT GOD AND GOD'S WILL; AND ABOUT US LIVING IN CONFORMITY TO GOD'S WILL, WHICH IN THE END IS THE ONLY WAY THAT WE CAN EVER HOPE TO BE HAPPY, AND THE ONLY WAY WE CAN HOPE TO BE HAPPY FOREVER. SO THAT'S THE MODEL PRAYER.
JESUS TELLS A PARABLE ABOUT PRAYER. A MAN NEEDS SOME BREAD FOR HIS GUEST, AND GOES NEXT DOOR TO BORROW IT. BUT IT'S NIGHT, AND THE HOUSEHOLDER DOESN'T WANT TO GET UP AND OPEN THE DOOR. BUT IF THE MAN KEEPS BANGING ON THE DOOR, HE'LL EVENTUALLY GET HIS WAY, EVEN IF THE HOUSEHOLDER DOESN'T WANT TO GIVE HIM THE BREAD, BECAUSE HE'LL NEVER GET TO SLEEP OTHERWISE. I DON'T THINK THAT IS PRIMARILY ABOUT BANGING ON GOD'S DOOR TO GET OUR WAY. I DO THINK THAT IT TELLS US SOMETHING ABOUT REAL PRAYER.
GOD TAKES OUR PRAYER SERIOUSLY IF WE DO. GOD DOESN'T PAY MUCH ATTENTION IF WE DON'T. ANYONE WHO IS A PARENT KNOWS THAT SOMETIMES YOUR CHILD ASKS FOR THINGS HE DOESN'T REALLY CARE WHETHER HE GETS OR NOT. YOU CAN TELL. AND YOU DON'T STIR YOURSELF MUCH TO ANSWER THOSE REQUESTS.
HOW DOES GOD TELL WHETHER YOU ARE SERIOUS? IT'S NOT HARD. IF YOU PRAY FOR AN END TO ABORTION BUT VOTE FOR CANDIDATES WHO ARE PRO-ABORTION, GOD KNOWS YOU AREN'T SERIOUS ABOUT THAT PRAYER. IF YOU PRAY THAT YOUR CHILD WILL BE GUIDED TO MAKE GOOD CHOICES BUT YOU MAKE NO EFFORT TO EDUCATE HIM IN WISDOM BY YOUR EXAMPLE AND YOUR WORDS, YOU AREN'T SERIOUS. IF YOU PRAY FOR AN END TO POVERTY BUT GIVE NOTHING OF YOUR GOODS TO END POVERTY, WELL, YOU GET THE POINT. THE MAN WHO WANTED BREAD DIDN'T SIT IN HIS HOUSE AND HOPE THAT HE WOULD GET BREAD; HE WENT NEXT DOOR AND BANGED ON THE DOOR UNTIL HE GOT IT. THE HOUSEHOLDER KNEW HE WAS SERIOUS. GOD DOES NOT FORGIVE US OUR SINS, UNLESS HE SEES THAT WE FORGIVE, REALLY FORGIVE OTHERS. ITS LIKE THE STORY OF THE MAN WHO WAS FORGIVEN A DEBT HE COULD NOT PAY, BUT WENT OUT AND DEMANDED THAT A MUCH SMALLER DEBT BE PAID TO HIM. HE ENDED UP UNFORGIVEN.
SO BE CAREFUL HOW YOU PRAY; PRAY FROM WITHIN THE WILL OF GOD, THE PURPOSE OF GOD; PRAY THAT YOU WILL BE ALIGNED WITH GOD'S WILL. AND PRAY LIKE YOU MEAN IT; IF YOU ARE GOING TO PRAY FOR SOMETHING, THEN GET OUT AND AT LEAST MAKE AN EFFORT; THEN GOD WILL SEE THAT YOU ARE SERIOUS.
AND PERHAPS THE LAST FEW WORDS ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT. ALL PRAYER, PROBABLY, BOILS DOWN TO PRAYING FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT; FOR IF THE SPIRIT LIVES IN US, THEN OUR PRAYER WILL BE RIGHT, AND OUR PRAYER WILL BE ANSWERED.
THEY SAY THAT GOD ALWAYS ANSWERS OUR PRAYERS. THE ANSWERS ARE YES, NO, NOT RIGHT NOW, AND YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING.
OUR GOSPEL TODAY INVITES US TO THINK ABOUT PRAYER. WHILE I AM SURE THAT GOD HEARS MY PRAYERS, MY OWN EXPERIENCE, WHICH IS PROBABLY YOURS AS WELL, IS THAT GOD DOESN'T USUALLY SAY YES. AND YET, WE ARE ASSURED BY JESUS THAT WHATEVER WE ASK THE FATHER IN HIS NAME WILL BE GRANTED; AND IF WE KNOCK, IT WILL BE OPENED; MANY PASSAGES IN THE GOSPELS AND IN FACT THROUGHOUT SCRIPTURE, INSIST THAT GOD WILL ANSWER OUR PRAYERS.
BUT I THINK IT DEPENDS ON THE PRAYER. FIRST OF ALL, WE CAN'T EXPECT GOD TO CHANGE NATURAL LAW. IF HE CHANGED THE LAWS OF NATURE OR SUSPENDED THEM, EVERY TIME ONE OF US ASKS HIM SOMETHING, THE WORLD WOULD BE PRETTY CHAOTIC. WE'D HAVE RAIN ON THE FARMS AND SUNNY DAYS IN THE CITIES, ALL AT THE SAME TIME. SKIERS WOULD HAVE SNOW AND GOLFERS WOULD HAVE SPRING ALL AT THE SAME TIME. AND THESE EXAMPLES ARE SORT OF SILLY, BUT WE COULD SAY THE SAME THING ABOUT LIFE AND DEATH, ABOUT BEING SPARED FROM HURRICANES AND OTHER NATURAL DISASTERS. GOD WON'T USUALLY SUSPEND HIS OWN LAWS.
SECOND, GOD WON'T TAKE AWAY OUR NATURE AS FREE BEINGS. IF WE ARE FREE TO MAKE CHOICES, THEN THE FREEDOM IS ONLY REAL IF THE CONSEQUENCES OF OUR CHOICES ARE REAL. IF I CHOOSE TO EXERCISE AND EAT RIGHT, I CAN EXPECT MY BODY TO BECOME HEALTHIER. MY CHOICE HAS CONSEQUENCES. BUT IF I CHOOSE TO SMOKE, I CAN EXPECT A HIGHER LIKELIHOOD OF CANCER, HEART DISEASE, EMPHYSEMA, ULCERS, AND BAD COMPLEXION. MY CHOICE HAS CONSEQUENCES. AND IF I PRAY THAT MY CHOICES NOT HAVE THE CONSEQUENCES THAT FOLLOW, THEN I AM PRAYING THAT GOD WILL TAKE AWAY MY FREEDOM, AND HE WON'T. IT'S ONE OF THE GIFTS THAT MAKE US IN HIS IMAGE AND LIKENESS.
SO IF GOD WON'T USUALLY SUSPEND NATURAL LAW, AND WON'T USUALLY SPARE US FROM THE CONSEQUENCES OF OUR FREEDOM, WHAT GOOD IS PRAYER? ARE WE JUST WASTING OUR BREATH? ARE WE JUST GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS? IN HIGH SCHOOL I WENT TO A CATHOLIC SCHOOL, AND BEFORE PLAYING A FOOTBALL GAME WE USED TO GET IN THE HUDDLE AND PRAY THAT WE WOULD WIN, AND THAT NO ONE WOULD GET HURT. GOD HAD ABOUT A 50% RESPONSE RATE TO THAT PRAYER, IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, EVEN WHEN WE WERE PLAYING AGAINST A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEAM.
THE APOSTLES HAVE WITNESSED THAT JESUS SPENDS A LOT OF TIME PRAYING. IT WASN'T UNUSUAL FOR DISCIPLES OF A RABBI TO ASK THEIR TEACHER TO GIVE THEM A PRAYER TO SAY, AND THE DISCIPLES ASK JESUS THE SAME THING – TEACH US TO PRAY. IF WE WERE READING A MORE ACCURATE TRANSLATION OF THIS GOSPEL, WE WOULD HEAR JESUS SAYING, “PRAY IN THIS WAY,” BEFORE HE GIVES THEM THE LORD'S PRAYER. WE SHOULD REMEMBER THAT THE LORD'S PRAYER IS A MODEL OF PRAYER, NOT PRIMARILY MEANT BY JESUS TO BE OUR PRAYER.
AND WE CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT PRAYER BY LOOKING AT THE LORD'S PRAYER. THE FIRST SET OF PETITIONS HAVE TO DO WITH GIVING GOD HIS RIGHTFUL PLACE IN OUR HEARTS AND IN OUR WORLD. BEING HUMAN, OUR FIRST IMPULSE IS TO ASK FOR SOMETHING FOR OURSELVES. BUT JESUS SAYS, PRAY THAT GOD IS PROPERLY HONORED, THAT THE WORLD GO ALONG WITH HIS WILL, AND THAT ALL PEOPLE WILL SUBMIT TO HIS RULE. THAT'S WHAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT. AND HAVING PRAYED FOR THIS, IF WE PRAY SINCERELY, WE PUT OURSELVES IN THE RIGHT FRAME OF MIND AND THE RIGHT RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. THE NEXT SET OF PETITIONS ARE FOR OURSELVES. NOTICE THAT WE DON'T SAY “I” OR “ME”. WE SAY “GIVE US WHAT WE NEED TODAY FOR OUR BODY AND SPIRIT”; WE PRAY THAT WE WILL BE FORGIVEN – FORGIVEN AS WE FORGIVE OTHERS, BUT FORGIVEN FOR ALL THOSE TIMES THAT WE HAVE GONE AGAINST GOD'S WILL. WE PRAY THAT WE WILL BE KEPT FROM FURTHER SIN, AND THAT THINGS THAT WILL TRULY HARM US WILL BE KEPT FROM US. REMEMBER THAT JESUS TOLD US NOT TO FEAR WHAT CAN KILL THE BODY, BUT WHAT DESTROYS THE SOUL. THAT'S WHAT WE WANT TO AVOID.
YOU'LL NOTICE THAT THE LORD'S PRAYER IS FIRST OF ALL, ABOUT GOD AND GOD'S WILL; AND ABOUT US LIVING IN CONFORMITY TO GOD'S WILL, WHICH IN THE END IS THE ONLY WAY THAT WE CAN EVER HOPE TO BE HAPPY, AND THE ONLY WAY WE CAN HOPE TO BE HAPPY FOREVER. SO THAT'S THE MODEL PRAYER.
JESUS TELLS A PARABLE ABOUT PRAYER. A MAN NEEDS SOME BREAD FOR HIS GUEST, AND GOES NEXT DOOR TO BORROW IT. BUT IT'S NIGHT, AND THE HOUSEHOLDER DOESN'T WANT TO GET UP AND OPEN THE DOOR. BUT IF THE MAN KEEPS BANGING ON THE DOOR, HE'LL EVENTUALLY GET HIS WAY, EVEN IF THE HOUSEHOLDER DOESN'T WANT TO GIVE HIM THE BREAD, BECAUSE HE'LL NEVER GET TO SLEEP OTHERWISE. I DON'T THINK THAT IS PRIMARILY ABOUT BANGING ON GOD'S DOOR TO GET OUR WAY. I DO THINK THAT IT TELLS US SOMETHING ABOUT REAL PRAYER.
GOD TAKES OUR PRAYER SERIOUSLY IF WE DO. GOD DOESN'T PAY MUCH ATTENTION IF WE DON'T. ANYONE WHO IS A PARENT KNOWS THAT SOMETIMES YOUR CHILD ASKS FOR THINGS HE DOESN'T REALLY CARE WHETHER HE GETS OR NOT. YOU CAN TELL. AND YOU DON'T STIR YOURSELF MUCH TO ANSWER THOSE REQUESTS.
HOW DOES GOD TELL WHETHER YOU ARE SERIOUS? IT'S NOT HARD. IF YOU PRAY FOR AN END TO ABORTION BUT VOTE FOR CANDIDATES WHO ARE PRO-ABORTION, GOD KNOWS YOU AREN'T SERIOUS ABOUT THAT PRAYER. IF YOU PRAY THAT YOUR CHILD WILL BE GUIDED TO MAKE GOOD CHOICES BUT YOU MAKE NO EFFORT TO EDUCATE HIM IN WISDOM BY YOUR EXAMPLE AND YOUR WORDS, YOU AREN'T SERIOUS. IF YOU PRAY FOR AN END TO POVERTY BUT GIVE NOTHING OF YOUR GOODS TO END POVERTY, WELL, YOU GET THE POINT. THE MAN WHO WANTED BREAD DIDN'T SIT IN HIS HOUSE AND HOPE THAT HE WOULD GET BREAD; HE WENT NEXT DOOR AND BANGED ON THE DOOR UNTIL HE GOT IT. THE HOUSEHOLDER KNEW HE WAS SERIOUS. GOD DOES NOT FORGIVE US OUR SINS, UNLESS HE SEES THAT WE FORGIVE, REALLY FORGIVE OTHERS. ITS LIKE THE STORY OF THE MAN WHO WAS FORGIVEN A DEBT HE COULD NOT PAY, BUT WENT OUT AND DEMANDED THAT A MUCH SMALLER DEBT BE PAID TO HIM. HE ENDED UP UNFORGIVEN.
SO BE CAREFUL HOW YOU PRAY; PRAY FROM WITHIN THE WILL OF GOD, THE PURPOSE OF GOD; PRAY THAT YOU WILL BE ALIGNED WITH GOD'S WILL. AND PRAY LIKE YOU MEAN IT; IF YOU ARE GOING TO PRAY FOR SOMETHING, THEN GET OUT AND AT LEAST MAKE AN EFFORT; THEN GOD WILL SEE THAT YOU ARE SERIOUS.
AND PERHAPS THE LAST FEW WORDS ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT. ALL PRAYER, PROBABLY, BOILS DOWN TO PRAYING FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT; FOR IF THE SPIRIT LIVES IN US, THEN OUR PRAYER WILL BE RIGHT, AND OUR PRAYER WILL BE ANSWERED.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle C
LUKE 10:38-42
WHEN I LIVED IN BUFFALO, I WAS THE THESIS DIRECTOR FOR A GRADUATE STUDENT WHO HAD BEEN BORN IN ITALY, AND HAD COME TO THIS COUNTRY WITH HIS PARENTS WHEN HE WAS ABOUT SIX. HE INVITED ME AND MY FAMILY TO SUPPER ONE DAY, AND ALTHOUGH I MADE A LOT OF EXCUSES, HE KEPT INSISTING AND FINALLY WORE DOWN MY RESISTANCE. WE GOT TO HIS HOUSE AT ABOUT 1:30 PM ON A SUNDAY. WE SAT AT THE DINING ROOM TABLE, THE FATHER AT THE HEAD, MY STUDENT AND HIS SISTER ACROSS FROM MY WIFE AND MYSELF, AND MY CHILDREN AT A CARD-TABLE. MY STUDENT'S MOTHER WAS STANDING BEHIND HIS FATHER'S CHAIR. DURING THE MEAL, SHE DID NOT JOIN US, BUT KEPT GOING INTO THE KITCHEN AND BRINGING OUT VARIOUS DISHES. I KEPT THINKING THAT THE MEAL WAS OVER, BUT IT KEPT GOING, FOR ABOUT THREE HOURS, AND EVERY TIME WE WOULD FINISH ONE THING, SOMETHING ELSE WOULD BE BROUGHT OUT. I BEGAN TO REALIZE WHY MY STUDENT AND HIS SISTER CARRIED A LITTLE EXCESS WEIGHT.
DURING THE MEAL I ASKED HIM IF HIS MOTHER WOULD SIT DOWN AND JOIN US. HE REPLIED THAT THIS WAS THE WAY IT ALWAYS WAS ON SUNDAYS – SHE NEVER SAT DOWN, SHE JUST COOKED AND SERVED – IT WAS TRADITION, SHE LIKED IT THIS WAY, SHE WOULDN'T THINK OF HAVING IT ANY OTHER WAY. BUT IT JUST DIDN'T SEEM RIGHT TO ME.
DURING THE MEAL, WE HAD A NICE CONVERSATION. MY STUDENT'S FATHER WOULD GIVE HIS OPINIONS, AND WE WOULD DISCUSS THEM. HE WAS CLEARLY THE MASTER OF THE HOUSE AND THE ONE TO WHOM EVERYONE DEFERRED.
TODAY'S GOSPEL IS ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE STORIES FROM THE LIFE OF JESUS THAT EVERYONE KNOWS; IN FACT, THE STORY OF MARTHA AND MARY IS ALMOST A CLICHÉ. PEOPLE REACT PREDICTABLY. MOTHERS SYMPATHIZE WITH MARTHA, AND GET A LITTLE MAD AT JESUS FOR SEEMING TO PUT HER DOWN WHEN ALL SHE WANTS IS A LITTLE HELP IN THE KITCHEN, PLEASE. AFTER ALL, MARTHA HAD TO RUSTLE UP SUPPER FOR TWELVE APOSTLES, JESUS, AND HER BROTHER LAZARUS. THAT'S A BIG DINNER PARTY, AND IF JESUS AND HIS APOSTLES WERE LIKE MOST MEN, THEY PROBABLY DIDN'T GIVE A LOT OF ADVANCE NOTICE. BUT THOSE CATHOLICS WHO HAVE ENTERED MONASTERIES AND RELIGIOUS ORDERS LOOK AT MARY, AND PERHAPS BELIEVE IN THEIR HEARTS THAT THEY HAVE CHOSEN THE BETTER PART; THEY ARE AFTER ALL, PUTTING ASIDE WORLDLY CARES SO THAT THEY CAN LISTEN MORE INTENTLY TO JESUS. AND EVEN THOUGH THEY DON'T WANT TO ADMIT IT, MAYBE THEY FEEL A LITTLE BIT SUPERIOR TO THOSE OF US WHO HAVE SO MANY EARTHLY CARES. AND THE REST OF US ARE IN BETWEEN; SOMETIMES WHEN WE ARE MARTHA, WE WISH WE WERE MARY; AND IF WE ARE MARY, SOMETIMES THOSE OF US WHO CAN'T SIT STILL FEEL AN URGE TO GO OUT IN THE KITCHEN AND SAY, “PUT ME TO WORK” BECAUSE SITTING QUIETLY IS NOT SOMETHING WE DO WELL.
I THINK JESUS HAS A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT MESSAGE THAN WE COMMONLY HEAR, HOWEVER. INDEED, MARY HAS CHOSEN THE BETTER PART. BUT JESUS IMPLIES THAT MARTHA COULD HAVE DONE SO AS WELL. MY STUDENT'S MOTHER AND FATHER WERE LOCKED INTO STEREOTYPES; SHE COULD NEVER HAVE SAT DOWN AT THE TABLE AND JOINED IN THE CONVERSATION; HE COULD NEVER HAVE GOTTEN UP AND HELPED HER IN THE KITCHEN.
BUT JESUS IMPLIES THAT IF WE ARE LOCKED INTO STEREOTYPES, WE MISS OUT ON THE BEST THINGS LIFE HAS TO OFFER. MARY BROKE THE STEREOTYPE, LEFT THE KITCHEN AND SAT AT THE FEET OF JESUS, JUST LIKE THE APOSTLES. AND JESUS CREDITS HER WITH THAT. MARTHA WAS DOING “WOMEN'S WORK” AND BECAUSE OF THAT, LOCKED HERSELF IN A PRISON OF HER OWN MAKING; JESUS IS IN THE NEXT ROOM, SPEAKING WORDS THAT MOVE THE HEARTS OF THOSE WHO HEAR HIM; SPEAKING WORDS OF LIFE AND SALVATION; AND MARTHA CANNOT LEAVE HER POTS AND PANS TO LISTEN. BUT MARY MAY HAVE CHOSEN THE BETTER PART, BUT MARTHA'S PROBLEM IS NOT LIMITED TO HER ALONE. WHY ARE THE APOSTLES AND MARY SITTING THERE ALLOWING MARTHA TO DO ALL THE WORK? THEY ARE AS GUILTY AS SHE IS; IT IS IN PART THEIR FAULT, THEIR EXPECTATIONS, THAT PREVENT MARTHA FROM CHOOSING THE BETTER PART. AND WE CAN ALL SEE WHERE THIS IS GOING. MARY AND THE APOSTLES SHOULD HAVE RECOGNIZED THAT MARTHA WAS DOING ALL THE WORK, AND FOUND A WAY TO MAKE SURE SHE SAT AT JESUS' FEET AS WELL; MARTHA IS DOING “WOMEN'S WORK” BUT THE APOSTLES ARE ENABLERS, THEY ARE REINFORCING THE STEREOTYPE.
WE LIVE IN A WORLD OF MARTHA'S. HOW DO I KNOW THIS? EVERY TUESDAY JESUS, BODY AND BLOOD, SOUL AND DIVINITY, TAKES HIS PLACE ON THE ALTAR IN THE EXPOSED BLESSED SACRAMENT. HE SPEAKS TO THOSE WHO COME TO HIM IN THE SILENCE OF THEIR HEARTS; HE OFFERS PEACE, ENLIGHTENMENT, ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS, FORGIVENESS OF SINS. EVERY FIRST FRIDAY HE MOUNTS HIS THRONE AS WELL, AND WAITS FOR HIS PEOPLE TO CHOOSE THE BETTER PART. AND THEY DON'T. THEY ARE TOO BUSY; THEY ARE ANXIOUS AND WORRIED ABOUT MANY THINGS.
IF YOU ARE A FOLLOWER OF JESUS, IF YOU REALLY BELIEVE THAT JESUS MAKES HIMSELF PRESENT IN THE BREAD AND WINE AS CATHOLICS BELIEVE; IF YOU WANT WHAT HE HAS TO OFFER, ISN'T IT TIME THAT YOU MADE A RESOLUTION TO SPEND SOME TIME WITH THE BLESSED SACRAMENT ONCE A WEEK, IF ONLY FOR A FEW MINUTES? YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE TO COME WHEN JESUS IS EXPOSED ON TUESDAYS AND FIRST FRIDAY; HE IS ALWAYS THERE IN THE TABERNACLE. IF YOU JUST BARELY BELIEVE THAT JESUS IS PRESENT IN THE BLESSED SACRAMENT, THEN YOU OWE IT TO YOURSELF TO ACT ON THAT BELIEF, AND IN HIS PRESENCE YOUR BELIEF WILL BE STRENGTHENED.
ONCE A PRIEST WAS COMPLAINING TO MOTHER THERESA ABOUT HOW BUSY HE WAS. HE BARELY HAD TIME TO GET THROUGH THE DAY, AND BECAUSE OF THAT HE FOUND HIMSELF NEGLECTING HIS PRAYER LIFE. SHE TOLD HIM THAT IF HE COULDN'T MAKE TIME FOR PRAYER IN HIS LIFE, NOTHING HE DID MATTERED. IF HE COULDN'T MAKE TIME FOR PRAYER THEN HE WAS CLEARLY WAY TOO BUSY.
AND TODAY WE SHOULD ASK WHETHER WE ARE TOO BUSY; WHETHER WE ARE ALLOWING THE STEREOTYPE OF WHAT THE WORLD EXPECTS OF US TO RULE OUR LIVES; WHETHER WE ARE BUSY WITH POTS AND PANS AND DISTRACTIONS WHEN JESUS IS IN THE NEXT ROOM AND THERE IS A PLACE FOR US AT HIS FEET.
WHEN I LIVED IN BUFFALO, I WAS THE THESIS DIRECTOR FOR A GRADUATE STUDENT WHO HAD BEEN BORN IN ITALY, AND HAD COME TO THIS COUNTRY WITH HIS PARENTS WHEN HE WAS ABOUT SIX. HE INVITED ME AND MY FAMILY TO SUPPER ONE DAY, AND ALTHOUGH I MADE A LOT OF EXCUSES, HE KEPT INSISTING AND FINALLY WORE DOWN MY RESISTANCE. WE GOT TO HIS HOUSE AT ABOUT 1:30 PM ON A SUNDAY. WE SAT AT THE DINING ROOM TABLE, THE FATHER AT THE HEAD, MY STUDENT AND HIS SISTER ACROSS FROM MY WIFE AND MYSELF, AND MY CHILDREN AT A CARD-TABLE. MY STUDENT'S MOTHER WAS STANDING BEHIND HIS FATHER'S CHAIR. DURING THE MEAL, SHE DID NOT JOIN US, BUT KEPT GOING INTO THE KITCHEN AND BRINGING OUT VARIOUS DISHES. I KEPT THINKING THAT THE MEAL WAS OVER, BUT IT KEPT GOING, FOR ABOUT THREE HOURS, AND EVERY TIME WE WOULD FINISH ONE THING, SOMETHING ELSE WOULD BE BROUGHT OUT. I BEGAN TO REALIZE WHY MY STUDENT AND HIS SISTER CARRIED A LITTLE EXCESS WEIGHT.
DURING THE MEAL I ASKED HIM IF HIS MOTHER WOULD SIT DOWN AND JOIN US. HE REPLIED THAT THIS WAS THE WAY IT ALWAYS WAS ON SUNDAYS – SHE NEVER SAT DOWN, SHE JUST COOKED AND SERVED – IT WAS TRADITION, SHE LIKED IT THIS WAY, SHE WOULDN'T THINK OF HAVING IT ANY OTHER WAY. BUT IT JUST DIDN'T SEEM RIGHT TO ME.
DURING THE MEAL, WE HAD A NICE CONVERSATION. MY STUDENT'S FATHER WOULD GIVE HIS OPINIONS, AND WE WOULD DISCUSS THEM. HE WAS CLEARLY THE MASTER OF THE HOUSE AND THE ONE TO WHOM EVERYONE DEFERRED.
TODAY'S GOSPEL IS ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE STORIES FROM THE LIFE OF JESUS THAT EVERYONE KNOWS; IN FACT, THE STORY OF MARTHA AND MARY IS ALMOST A CLICHÉ. PEOPLE REACT PREDICTABLY. MOTHERS SYMPATHIZE WITH MARTHA, AND GET A LITTLE MAD AT JESUS FOR SEEMING TO PUT HER DOWN WHEN ALL SHE WANTS IS A LITTLE HELP IN THE KITCHEN, PLEASE. AFTER ALL, MARTHA HAD TO RUSTLE UP SUPPER FOR TWELVE APOSTLES, JESUS, AND HER BROTHER LAZARUS. THAT'S A BIG DINNER PARTY, AND IF JESUS AND HIS APOSTLES WERE LIKE MOST MEN, THEY PROBABLY DIDN'T GIVE A LOT OF ADVANCE NOTICE. BUT THOSE CATHOLICS WHO HAVE ENTERED MONASTERIES AND RELIGIOUS ORDERS LOOK AT MARY, AND PERHAPS BELIEVE IN THEIR HEARTS THAT THEY HAVE CHOSEN THE BETTER PART; THEY ARE AFTER ALL, PUTTING ASIDE WORLDLY CARES SO THAT THEY CAN LISTEN MORE INTENTLY TO JESUS. AND EVEN THOUGH THEY DON'T WANT TO ADMIT IT, MAYBE THEY FEEL A LITTLE BIT SUPERIOR TO THOSE OF US WHO HAVE SO MANY EARTHLY CARES. AND THE REST OF US ARE IN BETWEEN; SOMETIMES WHEN WE ARE MARTHA, WE WISH WE WERE MARY; AND IF WE ARE MARY, SOMETIMES THOSE OF US WHO CAN'T SIT STILL FEEL AN URGE TO GO OUT IN THE KITCHEN AND SAY, “PUT ME TO WORK” BECAUSE SITTING QUIETLY IS NOT SOMETHING WE DO WELL.
I THINK JESUS HAS A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT MESSAGE THAN WE COMMONLY HEAR, HOWEVER. INDEED, MARY HAS CHOSEN THE BETTER PART. BUT JESUS IMPLIES THAT MARTHA COULD HAVE DONE SO AS WELL. MY STUDENT'S MOTHER AND FATHER WERE LOCKED INTO STEREOTYPES; SHE COULD NEVER HAVE SAT DOWN AT THE TABLE AND JOINED IN THE CONVERSATION; HE COULD NEVER HAVE GOTTEN UP AND HELPED HER IN THE KITCHEN.
BUT JESUS IMPLIES THAT IF WE ARE LOCKED INTO STEREOTYPES, WE MISS OUT ON THE BEST THINGS LIFE HAS TO OFFER. MARY BROKE THE STEREOTYPE, LEFT THE KITCHEN AND SAT AT THE FEET OF JESUS, JUST LIKE THE APOSTLES. AND JESUS CREDITS HER WITH THAT. MARTHA WAS DOING “WOMEN'S WORK” AND BECAUSE OF THAT, LOCKED HERSELF IN A PRISON OF HER OWN MAKING; JESUS IS IN THE NEXT ROOM, SPEAKING WORDS THAT MOVE THE HEARTS OF THOSE WHO HEAR HIM; SPEAKING WORDS OF LIFE AND SALVATION; AND MARTHA CANNOT LEAVE HER POTS AND PANS TO LISTEN. BUT MARY MAY HAVE CHOSEN THE BETTER PART, BUT MARTHA'S PROBLEM IS NOT LIMITED TO HER ALONE. WHY ARE THE APOSTLES AND MARY SITTING THERE ALLOWING MARTHA TO DO ALL THE WORK? THEY ARE AS GUILTY AS SHE IS; IT IS IN PART THEIR FAULT, THEIR EXPECTATIONS, THAT PREVENT MARTHA FROM CHOOSING THE BETTER PART. AND WE CAN ALL SEE WHERE THIS IS GOING. MARY AND THE APOSTLES SHOULD HAVE RECOGNIZED THAT MARTHA WAS DOING ALL THE WORK, AND FOUND A WAY TO MAKE SURE SHE SAT AT JESUS' FEET AS WELL; MARTHA IS DOING “WOMEN'S WORK” BUT THE APOSTLES ARE ENABLERS, THEY ARE REINFORCING THE STEREOTYPE.
WE LIVE IN A WORLD OF MARTHA'S. HOW DO I KNOW THIS? EVERY TUESDAY JESUS, BODY AND BLOOD, SOUL AND DIVINITY, TAKES HIS PLACE ON THE ALTAR IN THE EXPOSED BLESSED SACRAMENT. HE SPEAKS TO THOSE WHO COME TO HIM IN THE SILENCE OF THEIR HEARTS; HE OFFERS PEACE, ENLIGHTENMENT, ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS, FORGIVENESS OF SINS. EVERY FIRST FRIDAY HE MOUNTS HIS THRONE AS WELL, AND WAITS FOR HIS PEOPLE TO CHOOSE THE BETTER PART. AND THEY DON'T. THEY ARE TOO BUSY; THEY ARE ANXIOUS AND WORRIED ABOUT MANY THINGS.
IF YOU ARE A FOLLOWER OF JESUS, IF YOU REALLY BELIEVE THAT JESUS MAKES HIMSELF PRESENT IN THE BREAD AND WINE AS CATHOLICS BELIEVE; IF YOU WANT WHAT HE HAS TO OFFER, ISN'T IT TIME THAT YOU MADE A RESOLUTION TO SPEND SOME TIME WITH THE BLESSED SACRAMENT ONCE A WEEK, IF ONLY FOR A FEW MINUTES? YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE TO COME WHEN JESUS IS EXPOSED ON TUESDAYS AND FIRST FRIDAY; HE IS ALWAYS THERE IN THE TABERNACLE. IF YOU JUST BARELY BELIEVE THAT JESUS IS PRESENT IN THE BLESSED SACRAMENT, THEN YOU OWE IT TO YOURSELF TO ACT ON THAT BELIEF, AND IN HIS PRESENCE YOUR BELIEF WILL BE STRENGTHENED.
ONCE A PRIEST WAS COMPLAINING TO MOTHER THERESA ABOUT HOW BUSY HE WAS. HE BARELY HAD TIME TO GET THROUGH THE DAY, AND BECAUSE OF THAT HE FOUND HIMSELF NEGLECTING HIS PRAYER LIFE. SHE TOLD HIM THAT IF HE COULDN'T MAKE TIME FOR PRAYER IN HIS LIFE, NOTHING HE DID MATTERED. IF HE COULDN'T MAKE TIME FOR PRAYER THEN HE WAS CLEARLY WAY TOO BUSY.
AND TODAY WE SHOULD ASK WHETHER WE ARE TOO BUSY; WHETHER WE ARE ALLOWING THE STEREOTYPE OF WHAT THE WORLD EXPECTS OF US TO RULE OUR LIVES; WHETHER WE ARE BUSY WITH POTS AND PANS AND DISTRACTIONS WHEN JESUS IS IN THE NEXT ROOM AND THERE IS A PLACE FOR US AT HIS FEET.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle C
LUKE 10:25-37
ONCE I WAS IN MIAMI AT A CONFERENCE, AND DURING THE BREAKS I WOULD WALK AROUND ENJOYING THE SUN SINCE IT WAS WINTER IN LONGMEADOW. AND I WOULD ALWAYS PASS A QUIET MAN IN A WHEELCHAIR, MISSING HIS LEGS, HOLDING OUT A CUP, NOT MOVING, NOT BLESSING ME, NOT HOLDING UP A SIGN TELLING ME HE WAS A VETERAN. AND I SAW THAT THERE WERE A FEW COINS IN THE CUP, AND A DOLLAR BILL OR TWO. AND AFTER I PASSED HIM FOR THE THIRD OR FOURTH TIME, AND AFTER I HAD RESISTED THE URGE TO GO OVER AND DROP A FEW COINS IN HIS CUP – I SUDDENLY HAD A FLASH – HOW ABSOLUTELY FORTUNATE I WAS, HOW INCREDIBLY BLESSED; AND THEN FOR A VERY BRIEF MOMENT, FOR JUST A FRACTION OF A SECOND, I WAS THE MAN IN THE WHEELCHAIR. ON IMPULSE, I PUT A TWENTY DOLLAR BILL IN HIS CUP AND TOLD HIM I HOPED HE COULD GET OUT OF THE SUN FOR A WHILE. NOW I DON'T MAKE IT A HABIT TO DO THAT; POCKET CHANGE IS WHAT I USUALLY DROP INTO THE CUPS OF BEGGARS, AND MY REAL CONTRIBUTIONS ARE TO INSTITUTIONS WHICH WILL USE MY DONATIONS WISELY, WHERE THEY WILL DO THE MOST GOOD. BUT AS I READ THE STORY OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN FOR THE MILLIONTH TIME, I AM THINKING, MAYBE I SHOULD RETHINK WHETHER I AM A NEIGHBOR.
MOST OF US HAVE HEARD THE PARABLE OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN SO OFTEN THAT WE COULD PROBABLY RECITE IT WORD FOR WORD. AND WE THINK WE GET IT. EVERYBODY IS OUR NEIGHBOR. SEEMS LIKE JESUS WENT TO A LOT OF TROUBLE TO MAKE THIS SIMPLE POINT. BUT LIKE EVERYTHING JESUS SAID, THIS PARABLE IS DEEP, AND EVERY TIME YOU THINK ABOUT IT YOU HEAR THE STORY IN A NEW WAY.
PICTURE THE SCENE; JESUS SUMMARIZES THE COMMANDMENTS IN TWO STATEMENTS, AND A LAWYER AGREES; BECAUSE THE JEWS DEBATED ABOUT WHICH COMMANDMENTS WERE THE MOST IMPORTANT, AND THERE WERE MANY JEWS, NOT JUST JESUS, WHO SAW THROUGH THE 613 COMMANDMENTS TO THE FUNDAMENTAL COMMANDMENTS OF LOVING GOD AND LOVING NEIGHBOR. BUT THE LAWYER HAS A REAL QUESTION. IF YOU READ THE OLD TESTAMENT, IT IS CONFUSING; WHO IS YOUR NEIGHBOR? SURE, THERE IS A HINT THAT WE ARE ALL GOD'S CHILDREN. THE PARABLE OF JONAH, FOR EXAMPLE, SUGGESTS THAT GOD CARES ABOUT PEOPLE WHO AREN'T ISRAELITES, SINCE HE SPARES THE PEOPLE OF NINEVEH WHEN THEY REPENT. BUT MOST OF THE WRITINGS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT COULD GIVE SUPPORT TO THE IDEA THAT THE NEIGHBOR OF A JEW WAS ANOTHER JEW, AND THAT GENTILES WERE SOMETHING ELSE; IF THEY LIVED AMONG YOU, YOU TOLERATED THEM; BUT THEY WERE DEFINITELY SECOND CLASS CITIZENS. DID THE JEWS THINK THEY WERE BETTER THAN OTHER PEOPLE? NOT THE THOUGHTFUL ONES; BUT THEY DID THINK THAT GOD HAD A SPECIAL PURPOSE FOR THE JEWISH PEOPLE, AND WHILE THAT WAS A PRIVILEGE, IT WAS ALSO A HUGE BURDEN. AND JEWS WERE SUPPOSED TO CONCENTRATE ON THEIR DUTIES TOWARDS GOD, AND NOT WORRY ABOUT THE REST OF MANKIND. THAT WAS GOD'S CONCERN.
JESUS GOES OVER TO THE LAWYER AND BEGINS A STORY. I'M SURE YOU'VE HEARD STORIES THAT START OUT, “A PRIEST, A MINISTER, AND A RABBI WENT INTO A BAR ....” OR “A DOCTOR, A LAWYER, AND AN AN ENGINEER WERE ARGUING...” IN THE SOCIETY IN WHICH JESUS LIVED, THE PRIESTS AND LEVITES, WHO PERFORMED WHAT EVERYONE AGREED WAS A NECESSARY FUNCTION, WERE INCREASINGLY DISTANT FROM THE ORDINARY PEOPLE, AND THERE WAS A LITTLE CLASS JEALOUSY. SO THERE WERE MANY STORIES THAT STARTED OUT “A PRIEST, A LEVITE AND AN ISRAELITE...” AND IN THESE STORIES, THE ISRAELITE ALWAYS SHOWED MORE COMMON SENSE, OR A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE LAW, THAN DID THE PRIEST AND THE LEVITE. SO THE LAWYER AND EVERYONE LISTENING TO JESUS SETTLED BACK TO HEAR A FAMILIAR STORY – AND THEN JESUS BRINGS UP THE SAMARITAN. YOU AND I LITERALLY CAN'T IMAGINE THE SHOCK, NOT IN OUR SOCIETY. WE MAY INDIVIDUALLY HARBOR ILL FEELINGS TOWARDS WHOLE CLASSES OF PEOPLE, BUT NOT TO THE POINT THAT WE WOULD WANT THEM ALL DEAD, WIPED OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH. NOT TO THE POINT WHERE WE WOULD FEEL SICK TO OUR STOMACH IF ONE OF THEM TOUCHED US. AND TO EVEN MENTION A SAMARITAN IN POLITE COMPANY – IT WOULD BE LIKE TALKING ABOUT YOUR BATHROOM HABITS IN A FANCY RESTAURANT. BUT THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE THOUGHT OF SAMARITANS – NOT ONLY WERE THEY HALF-BREEDS, CROSSES BETWEEN JEWS AND PAGANS; BUT THEIR RELIGION WAS HALF-BREED AS WELL, A BLASPHEMOUS MOCKERY OF THE TRUE RELIGION. AND THEY LIVED RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LAND THAT GOD HAD GIVEN THE CHOSEN PEOPLE, LIKE A BIG OPEN SORE ON A BEAUTIFUL FACE.
AND JESUS LOOKS THE LAWYER IN THE EYE, AND THE LAWYER SUDDENLY SEES HIMSELF AS THE MAN IN THE DITCH, THE MAN WHO HAS BEEN BEATEN AND ROBBED AND LEFT FOR DEAD. WHO CAN BLAME THE PRIEST AND THE LEVITE? IT WAS A WELL KNOWN TRICK FOR BANDITS TO HIDE AND ATTACK ANYONE FOOLISH ENOUGH TO LET DOWN THEIR GUARD. AND IF THE PERSON WAS DEAD, NO ONE WOULD WANT TO TOUCH THE BODY, SINCE YOU WOULD BECOME RITUALLY UNCLEAN. AND THE LAWYER, WHO HAS PROBABLY FOUND HIMSELF IN THE SAME SITUATION AS THE PRIEST AND THE LEVITE, WHO HAD STEPPED OVER A BODY ON THE SIDEWALK OR CROSSED THE STREET TO AVOID THE LEPER SITTING IN RAGS, SUDDENLY FELT WHAT IT IS LIKE TO BE HELPLESS, TO BE DYING, AND TO BE COMPLETELY ALONE. AND AT THAT MOMENT, THERE WEREN'T JEWS AND SAMARITANS, THERE WEREN'T RITUAL PURITY LAWS, THERE WEREN'T ANY ARTIFICIAL DIVISIONS – NOT FOR THE MAN IN THE DITCH. AND JESUS RUBS IT IN. HE DOESN'T MERELY SAY THAT THE SAMARITAN HELPED THE MAN, HE DESCRIBES IN DETAIL WHAT THE SAMARITAN DID – CLEANS OUT THE WOUNDS, TEARS STRIPS FROM HIS GARMENT FOR BANDAGES, PUTS THE MAN ON HIS MULE AND WALKS THE REST OF THE NINE OR TEN MILES, PAYS THE INNKEEPER, AND PLEDGES TO PAY WHAT ELSE WOULD BE OWED ON HIS WAY BACK. AND JESUS SAYS, “WHO WAS NEIGHBOR TO THAT MAN?” AND THE LAWYER, WHO UP TILL THEN WOULD HAVE READILY AGREED THAT A JEW WAS NEIGHBOR TO A JEW, IS BROUGHT TO A NEW UNDERSTANDING; A NEIGHBOR IS DEFINED NOT BY WHO HE IS, NOT BY RACE OR RELIGION OR SOCIAL STATUS, BUT BY WHAT HE DOES.
ALL THE PEOPLE WHO HEARD JESUS GOT THE LESSON WE ALL GET – EVERYONE IS YOUR NEIGHBOR. BUT I THINK THE LAWYER, LIKE ME AT THAT MOMENT IN MIAMI, HAD FELT THE ABANDONMENT THAT THE HELPLESS FEEL, AND HAD FELT THE RELIEF AND GRATITUDE WHEN THE STRANGER WHO OWED NOTHING STOPPED TO MINISTER AND SAVED HIS LIFE. AND THE LAWYER LEARNED THE MORE IMPORTANT LESSON – A NEIGHBOR IS ONE WHO HAS MERCY. MAY GOD TEACH US ALL HOW IT FEELS TO RECEIVE MERCY, SO THAT WE WILL HAVE MERCY.
ONCE I WAS IN MIAMI AT A CONFERENCE, AND DURING THE BREAKS I WOULD WALK AROUND ENJOYING THE SUN SINCE IT WAS WINTER IN LONGMEADOW. AND I WOULD ALWAYS PASS A QUIET MAN IN A WHEELCHAIR, MISSING HIS LEGS, HOLDING OUT A CUP, NOT MOVING, NOT BLESSING ME, NOT HOLDING UP A SIGN TELLING ME HE WAS A VETERAN. AND I SAW THAT THERE WERE A FEW COINS IN THE CUP, AND A DOLLAR BILL OR TWO. AND AFTER I PASSED HIM FOR THE THIRD OR FOURTH TIME, AND AFTER I HAD RESISTED THE URGE TO GO OVER AND DROP A FEW COINS IN HIS CUP – I SUDDENLY HAD A FLASH – HOW ABSOLUTELY FORTUNATE I WAS, HOW INCREDIBLY BLESSED; AND THEN FOR A VERY BRIEF MOMENT, FOR JUST A FRACTION OF A SECOND, I WAS THE MAN IN THE WHEELCHAIR. ON IMPULSE, I PUT A TWENTY DOLLAR BILL IN HIS CUP AND TOLD HIM I HOPED HE COULD GET OUT OF THE SUN FOR A WHILE. NOW I DON'T MAKE IT A HABIT TO DO THAT; POCKET CHANGE IS WHAT I USUALLY DROP INTO THE CUPS OF BEGGARS, AND MY REAL CONTRIBUTIONS ARE TO INSTITUTIONS WHICH WILL USE MY DONATIONS WISELY, WHERE THEY WILL DO THE MOST GOOD. BUT AS I READ THE STORY OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN FOR THE MILLIONTH TIME, I AM THINKING, MAYBE I SHOULD RETHINK WHETHER I AM A NEIGHBOR.
MOST OF US HAVE HEARD THE PARABLE OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN SO OFTEN THAT WE COULD PROBABLY RECITE IT WORD FOR WORD. AND WE THINK WE GET IT. EVERYBODY IS OUR NEIGHBOR. SEEMS LIKE JESUS WENT TO A LOT OF TROUBLE TO MAKE THIS SIMPLE POINT. BUT LIKE EVERYTHING JESUS SAID, THIS PARABLE IS DEEP, AND EVERY TIME YOU THINK ABOUT IT YOU HEAR THE STORY IN A NEW WAY.
PICTURE THE SCENE; JESUS SUMMARIZES THE COMMANDMENTS IN TWO STATEMENTS, AND A LAWYER AGREES; BECAUSE THE JEWS DEBATED ABOUT WHICH COMMANDMENTS WERE THE MOST IMPORTANT, AND THERE WERE MANY JEWS, NOT JUST JESUS, WHO SAW THROUGH THE 613 COMMANDMENTS TO THE FUNDAMENTAL COMMANDMENTS OF LOVING GOD AND LOVING NEIGHBOR. BUT THE LAWYER HAS A REAL QUESTION. IF YOU READ THE OLD TESTAMENT, IT IS CONFUSING; WHO IS YOUR NEIGHBOR? SURE, THERE IS A HINT THAT WE ARE ALL GOD'S CHILDREN. THE PARABLE OF JONAH, FOR EXAMPLE, SUGGESTS THAT GOD CARES ABOUT PEOPLE WHO AREN'T ISRAELITES, SINCE HE SPARES THE PEOPLE OF NINEVEH WHEN THEY REPENT. BUT MOST OF THE WRITINGS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT COULD GIVE SUPPORT TO THE IDEA THAT THE NEIGHBOR OF A JEW WAS ANOTHER JEW, AND THAT GENTILES WERE SOMETHING ELSE; IF THEY LIVED AMONG YOU, YOU TOLERATED THEM; BUT THEY WERE DEFINITELY SECOND CLASS CITIZENS. DID THE JEWS THINK THEY WERE BETTER THAN OTHER PEOPLE? NOT THE THOUGHTFUL ONES; BUT THEY DID THINK THAT GOD HAD A SPECIAL PURPOSE FOR THE JEWISH PEOPLE, AND WHILE THAT WAS A PRIVILEGE, IT WAS ALSO A HUGE BURDEN. AND JEWS WERE SUPPOSED TO CONCENTRATE ON THEIR DUTIES TOWARDS GOD, AND NOT WORRY ABOUT THE REST OF MANKIND. THAT WAS GOD'S CONCERN.
JESUS GOES OVER TO THE LAWYER AND BEGINS A STORY. I'M SURE YOU'VE HEARD STORIES THAT START OUT, “A PRIEST, A MINISTER, AND A RABBI WENT INTO A BAR ....” OR “A DOCTOR, A LAWYER, AND AN AN ENGINEER WERE ARGUING...” IN THE SOCIETY IN WHICH JESUS LIVED, THE PRIESTS AND LEVITES, WHO PERFORMED WHAT EVERYONE AGREED WAS A NECESSARY FUNCTION, WERE INCREASINGLY DISTANT FROM THE ORDINARY PEOPLE, AND THERE WAS A LITTLE CLASS JEALOUSY. SO THERE WERE MANY STORIES THAT STARTED OUT “A PRIEST, A LEVITE AND AN ISRAELITE...” AND IN THESE STORIES, THE ISRAELITE ALWAYS SHOWED MORE COMMON SENSE, OR A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE LAW, THAN DID THE PRIEST AND THE LEVITE. SO THE LAWYER AND EVERYONE LISTENING TO JESUS SETTLED BACK TO HEAR A FAMILIAR STORY – AND THEN JESUS BRINGS UP THE SAMARITAN. YOU AND I LITERALLY CAN'T IMAGINE THE SHOCK, NOT IN OUR SOCIETY. WE MAY INDIVIDUALLY HARBOR ILL FEELINGS TOWARDS WHOLE CLASSES OF PEOPLE, BUT NOT TO THE POINT THAT WE WOULD WANT THEM ALL DEAD, WIPED OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH. NOT TO THE POINT WHERE WE WOULD FEEL SICK TO OUR STOMACH IF ONE OF THEM TOUCHED US. AND TO EVEN MENTION A SAMARITAN IN POLITE COMPANY – IT WOULD BE LIKE TALKING ABOUT YOUR BATHROOM HABITS IN A FANCY RESTAURANT. BUT THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE THOUGHT OF SAMARITANS – NOT ONLY WERE THEY HALF-BREEDS, CROSSES BETWEEN JEWS AND PAGANS; BUT THEIR RELIGION WAS HALF-BREED AS WELL, A BLASPHEMOUS MOCKERY OF THE TRUE RELIGION. AND THEY LIVED RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LAND THAT GOD HAD GIVEN THE CHOSEN PEOPLE, LIKE A BIG OPEN SORE ON A BEAUTIFUL FACE.
AND JESUS LOOKS THE LAWYER IN THE EYE, AND THE LAWYER SUDDENLY SEES HIMSELF AS THE MAN IN THE DITCH, THE MAN WHO HAS BEEN BEATEN AND ROBBED AND LEFT FOR DEAD. WHO CAN BLAME THE PRIEST AND THE LEVITE? IT WAS A WELL KNOWN TRICK FOR BANDITS TO HIDE AND ATTACK ANYONE FOOLISH ENOUGH TO LET DOWN THEIR GUARD. AND IF THE PERSON WAS DEAD, NO ONE WOULD WANT TO TOUCH THE BODY, SINCE YOU WOULD BECOME RITUALLY UNCLEAN. AND THE LAWYER, WHO HAS PROBABLY FOUND HIMSELF IN THE SAME SITUATION AS THE PRIEST AND THE LEVITE, WHO HAD STEPPED OVER A BODY ON THE SIDEWALK OR CROSSED THE STREET TO AVOID THE LEPER SITTING IN RAGS, SUDDENLY FELT WHAT IT IS LIKE TO BE HELPLESS, TO BE DYING, AND TO BE COMPLETELY ALONE. AND AT THAT MOMENT, THERE WEREN'T JEWS AND SAMARITANS, THERE WEREN'T RITUAL PURITY LAWS, THERE WEREN'T ANY ARTIFICIAL DIVISIONS – NOT FOR THE MAN IN THE DITCH. AND JESUS RUBS IT IN. HE DOESN'T MERELY SAY THAT THE SAMARITAN HELPED THE MAN, HE DESCRIBES IN DETAIL WHAT THE SAMARITAN DID – CLEANS OUT THE WOUNDS, TEARS STRIPS FROM HIS GARMENT FOR BANDAGES, PUTS THE MAN ON HIS MULE AND WALKS THE REST OF THE NINE OR TEN MILES, PAYS THE INNKEEPER, AND PLEDGES TO PAY WHAT ELSE WOULD BE OWED ON HIS WAY BACK. AND JESUS SAYS, “WHO WAS NEIGHBOR TO THAT MAN?” AND THE LAWYER, WHO UP TILL THEN WOULD HAVE READILY AGREED THAT A JEW WAS NEIGHBOR TO A JEW, IS BROUGHT TO A NEW UNDERSTANDING; A NEIGHBOR IS DEFINED NOT BY WHO HE IS, NOT BY RACE OR RELIGION OR SOCIAL STATUS, BUT BY WHAT HE DOES.
ALL THE PEOPLE WHO HEARD JESUS GOT THE LESSON WE ALL GET – EVERYONE IS YOUR NEIGHBOR. BUT I THINK THE LAWYER, LIKE ME AT THAT MOMENT IN MIAMI, HAD FELT THE ABANDONMENT THAT THE HELPLESS FEEL, AND HAD FELT THE RELIEF AND GRATITUDE WHEN THE STRANGER WHO OWED NOTHING STOPPED TO MINISTER AND SAVED HIS LIFE. AND THE LAWYER LEARNED THE MORE IMPORTANT LESSON – A NEIGHBOR IS ONE WHO HAS MERCY. MAY GOD TEACH US ALL HOW IT FEELS TO RECEIVE MERCY, SO THAT WE WILL HAVE MERCY.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle C
LUKE 10: 1-12, 17-20
HAVE YOU EVER READ STORIES ABOUT CONVERSION? HOW PEOPLE COME TO MAKE THE DECISION TO ENTER THE CATHOLIC CHURCH? THE MOST ARTICULATE PEOPLE, THE ONES WHO WRITE BOOKS, GIVE VERY LOGICAL AND VERY BIBLICAL ARGUMENTS. SCOTT HAHN, A PROFESSOR OF BIBLICAL THEOLOGY AT STEUBENVILLE UNIVERSITY, WROTE A WONDERFUL ACCOUNT OF HIS OWN CONVERSION. HE WAS AN ORDAINED PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER, WORKING AS A PASTOR AND AS AN INSTRUCTOR IN THE SEMINARY; OVER SEVERAL YEARS, HE GRADUALLY BECAME CONVINCED THAT OF ALL THE VARIOUS VARIETIES OF CHRISTIANITY, CATHOLICISM WAS THE ONE THAT WAS MOST BIBLICAL, AND ULTIMATELY, HE JOINED THE CHURCH, ALONG WITH HIS WIFE. THAT ACCOUNT IS IN A BOOK CALLED “ROME SWEET HOME”. AND THERE ARE MANY OTHER SUCH ACCOUNTS BY CONVERTED PROTESTANTS, JEWS AND ATHEISTS, WHO BECAME INTELLECTUALLY CONVINCED OF THE TRUTH OF THE CHURCH, AND THEN MADE THE TOTAL COMMITMENT OF CONVERSION. I ENJOY READING THESE ACCOUNTS. THEY ARE WONDERFUL SOURCES FOR APOLOGETICS, WHEN I FIND MYSELF IN A DISCUSSION IN WHICH I AM CALLED UPON TO DEFEND MY FAITH.
BUT I HAVE A FEELING THAT IF YOU SPEAK TO MOST CONVERTS, VERY FEW HAVE BEEN INFLUENCED BY BRILLIANT LOGIC OR ASTUTE BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION. MOST OF THE CONVERTS I'VE DEALT WITH PERSONALLY CAME INTO THE CHURCH AFTER BEING MARRIED TO A CATHOLIC FOR A WHILE, AND AS ONE OF THEM PUT IT, “WHY NOT?” I KNOW ONE OF MY AUNTS, WHO HAD BEEN RAISED IN A SMALL DENOMINATION IN CENTRAL MISSOURI, CONVERTED AFTER HAVING HAD A LARGE FAMILY WITH MY UNCLE, AND I AM SURE THAT A GOOD PART OF HER MOTIVATION WAS PROBABLY THAT SHE FELT INCREASINGLY LEFT OUT WHEN THEY WOULD ALL GO TO SUNDAY MASS AND RECEIVE COMMUNION. OH, WELL, WHATEVER IT TAKES.
BUT THERE IS A THIRD WAY PEOPLE FIND THEIR WAY INTO THE CHURCH. I AM SURE SOME OF YOU HAVE HEARD OF DOROTHY DAY. SHE DIED IN 1980, AND SOMEDAY SHE MAY BE A SAINT. SHE GREW UP WITHOUT A RELIGION, ALTHOUGH HER PARENTS WERE NOMINAL EPISCOPALIANS. IN COLLEGE SHE BECAME A MARXIST, AND WROTE FOR VARIOUS RADICAL PUBLICATIONS. SHE LED A PROMISCUOUS LIFE, HAD AT LEAST ONE ABORTION, AND THEN, WHILE SHE WAS PREGNANT WITH THE CHILD SHE WOULD ONE DAY BEAR, SHE DECIDED TO BRING UP THE CHILD AS A CATHOLIC. HER REASONS WEREN'T CLEAR; IN HER AUTOBIOGRAPHY SHE WANTED FOR HER DAUGHTER WHAT SHE THOUGHT HAD BEEN LACKING IN HER CHILDHOOD – A SENSE OF CERTAINTY AND PURPOSE. IN ORDER TO DO THIS, SHE HAD TO LEARN W,HAT THE CHURCH TAUGHT, AND EVENTUALLY SHE ENTERED THE CHURCH AS WELL, EVEN THOUGH, AS SHE ADMITS, SHE HAD A HARD TIME ACCEPTING SOME OF THE DOCTRINES OF THE CHURCH. ONCE A CATHOLIC, SHE CONTINUED HER WORK FOR THE POOR, HER ADVOCACY OF UNIONS, HER PACIFISM – BUT SHE WAS A ROCK-SOLID CATHOLIC, DEVOTED TO THE EUCHARIST AND THE BLESSED MOTHER, SO MUCH SO THAT PEOPLE HAD A HARD TIME SEEING HOW SHE COULD BE RADICAL IN TERMS OF POLITICS BUT SO CONVENTIONAL IN TERMS OF HER RELIGIOUS BELIEFS.
SHE WROTE IN HER AUTOBIOGRAPHY: “NOT LONG AFTERWARD A PRIEST WANTED ME TO WRITE A STORY OF MY CONVERSION, TELLING HOW THE SOCIAL TEACHING OF THE CHURCH HAD LED ME TO EMBRACE CATHOLICISM. BUT I KNEW NOTHING OF THE SOCIAL TEACHING OF THE CHURCH AT THAT TIME. I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THE ENCYCLICALS. I FELT THAT THE CHURCH WAS THE CHURCH OF THE POOR, THAT ST. PATRICK’S HAD BEEN BUILT FROM THE PENNIES OF SERVANT GIRLS, THAT IT CARED FOR THE EMIGRANT, IT ESTABLISHED HOSPITALS, ORPHANAGES, DAY NURSERIES, HOUSES OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD, HOMES FOR THE AGED ... “ DOROTHY DAY DID NOT CONVERT FOR INTELLECTUAL REASONS OR BECAUSE SHE HAD LIVED WITH A CATHOLIC. HER CONVERSION WAS ALMOST IN SPITE OF WHAT SHE KNEW OF CATHOLICS AND CATHOLICISM, BECAUSE EVEN WHEN SHE CONVERTED, SHE FELT THAT ALL THE WONDERFUL THINGS THE CHURCH DID WOULD NOT BE NECESSARY IF THE CHURCH USED ITS POWER TO CHANGE SOCIETY.
SO DOROTHY DAY WAS CONVERTED PRIMARILY AND ONLY BECAUSE IN ALL THE WORLD, THERE WAS ONE PLACE WHERE SHE COULD SEE THAT THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN WAS AT HAND – THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED IN TODAY'S GOSPEL. NOTICE THAT JESUS DID NOT EQUIP THE SEVENTY DISCIPLES WITH CLEVER ARGUMENTS OR WELL WRITTEN COMMENTARIES. IN FACT, HE INSISTED THAT THEY TRAVEL PRETTY LIGHTLY – NO WALKING STICK, NO MONEY, NO BAG IN WHICH TO CARRY A LITTLE LUNCH – NO SHOES EVEN. AND HIS CHARGE TO THEM WAS FIRST, TO HEAL THE SICK, THEN TO ANNOUNCE THAT THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS AT HAND. AND THE RESULTS WERE SPECTACULAR! EVEN JESUS WAS IMPRESSED.
IN PLACES WHERE THE CHURCH IS GROWING, IN AFRICA WHERE IT HAS TRIPLED IN MEMBERSHIP IN TWENTY YEARS; IN INDIA, WHERE THE CHURCH IS SENDING INDIAN PRIESTS AND NUNS TO OTHER COUNTRIES; EVEN IN CHINA, WHERE DESPITE INCREDIBLE ODDS, THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IS ALIVE AND HEALTHY AND GROWING – WHERE THE CHURCH IS HEALTHIEST, THAT IS WHERE PEOPLE SEE THAT THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS AT HAND.
IT'S HARDER TO SEE IT IN OUR COUNTRY. HERE IN NEW ENGLAND, WE'VE SEEN THE CHARITABLE WORKS OF THE CHURCH TAKE A REAL HIT; THIS YEAR OUR DIOCESE HAS LAID OFF ONE THIRD OF THE EMPLOYEES AND RETRENCHED IN TERMS OF ITS MINISTRIES. AMONG THOSE HARDEST HIT, OF COURSE, WILL BE THE POOR WHO HAVE DEPENDED ON THE SERVICES OF THE CHURCH. OVER THE PAST 20 YEARS WE'VE SEEN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS AND HOSPITALS CLOSE. TODAY IF YOU ARE POOR AND NEEDY YOU WOULD PROBABLY TURN TO SOME GOVERNMENT AGENCY FIRST; THE CHURCH WOULD NOT BE YOUR FIRST THOUGHT.
OUR CHURCH CAN WIN A FEW SOULS WITH INTELLECTUAL ARGUMENTS, AND A FEW MORE THROUGH MARRIAGE, ALTHOUGH WE PROBABLY LOSE AS MANY AS WE GAIN THROUGH MIXED MARRIAGES. BUT IF THE CHURCH IS TRULY GOING TO WIN SOULS SOMEHOW WE HAVE TO GET BACK TO SHOWING THE WORLD THAT THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS AT HAND. SO THE QUESTION FOR TODAY IS, HOW ARE YOU AND I GOING TO SHOW THE PEOPLE OF LONGMEADOW THAT THE KINGDOM IS AT HAND?
HAVE YOU EVER READ STORIES ABOUT CONVERSION? HOW PEOPLE COME TO MAKE THE DECISION TO ENTER THE CATHOLIC CHURCH? THE MOST ARTICULATE PEOPLE, THE ONES WHO WRITE BOOKS, GIVE VERY LOGICAL AND VERY BIBLICAL ARGUMENTS. SCOTT HAHN, A PROFESSOR OF BIBLICAL THEOLOGY AT STEUBENVILLE UNIVERSITY, WROTE A WONDERFUL ACCOUNT OF HIS OWN CONVERSION. HE WAS AN ORDAINED PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER, WORKING AS A PASTOR AND AS AN INSTRUCTOR IN THE SEMINARY; OVER SEVERAL YEARS, HE GRADUALLY BECAME CONVINCED THAT OF ALL THE VARIOUS VARIETIES OF CHRISTIANITY, CATHOLICISM WAS THE ONE THAT WAS MOST BIBLICAL, AND ULTIMATELY, HE JOINED THE CHURCH, ALONG WITH HIS WIFE. THAT ACCOUNT IS IN A BOOK CALLED “ROME SWEET HOME”. AND THERE ARE MANY OTHER SUCH ACCOUNTS BY CONVERTED PROTESTANTS, JEWS AND ATHEISTS, WHO BECAME INTELLECTUALLY CONVINCED OF THE TRUTH OF THE CHURCH, AND THEN MADE THE TOTAL COMMITMENT OF CONVERSION. I ENJOY READING THESE ACCOUNTS. THEY ARE WONDERFUL SOURCES FOR APOLOGETICS, WHEN I FIND MYSELF IN A DISCUSSION IN WHICH I AM CALLED UPON TO DEFEND MY FAITH.
BUT I HAVE A FEELING THAT IF YOU SPEAK TO MOST CONVERTS, VERY FEW HAVE BEEN INFLUENCED BY BRILLIANT LOGIC OR ASTUTE BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION. MOST OF THE CONVERTS I'VE DEALT WITH PERSONALLY CAME INTO THE CHURCH AFTER BEING MARRIED TO A CATHOLIC FOR A WHILE, AND AS ONE OF THEM PUT IT, “WHY NOT?” I KNOW ONE OF MY AUNTS, WHO HAD BEEN RAISED IN A SMALL DENOMINATION IN CENTRAL MISSOURI, CONVERTED AFTER HAVING HAD A LARGE FAMILY WITH MY UNCLE, AND I AM SURE THAT A GOOD PART OF HER MOTIVATION WAS PROBABLY THAT SHE FELT INCREASINGLY LEFT OUT WHEN THEY WOULD ALL GO TO SUNDAY MASS AND RECEIVE COMMUNION. OH, WELL, WHATEVER IT TAKES.
BUT THERE IS A THIRD WAY PEOPLE FIND THEIR WAY INTO THE CHURCH. I AM SURE SOME OF YOU HAVE HEARD OF DOROTHY DAY. SHE DIED IN 1980, AND SOMEDAY SHE MAY BE A SAINT. SHE GREW UP WITHOUT A RELIGION, ALTHOUGH HER PARENTS WERE NOMINAL EPISCOPALIANS. IN COLLEGE SHE BECAME A MARXIST, AND WROTE FOR VARIOUS RADICAL PUBLICATIONS. SHE LED A PROMISCUOUS LIFE, HAD AT LEAST ONE ABORTION, AND THEN, WHILE SHE WAS PREGNANT WITH THE CHILD SHE WOULD ONE DAY BEAR, SHE DECIDED TO BRING UP THE CHILD AS A CATHOLIC. HER REASONS WEREN'T CLEAR; IN HER AUTOBIOGRAPHY SHE WANTED FOR HER DAUGHTER WHAT SHE THOUGHT HAD BEEN LACKING IN HER CHILDHOOD – A SENSE OF CERTAINTY AND PURPOSE. IN ORDER TO DO THIS, SHE HAD TO LEARN W,HAT THE CHURCH TAUGHT, AND EVENTUALLY SHE ENTERED THE CHURCH AS WELL, EVEN THOUGH, AS SHE ADMITS, SHE HAD A HARD TIME ACCEPTING SOME OF THE DOCTRINES OF THE CHURCH. ONCE A CATHOLIC, SHE CONTINUED HER WORK FOR THE POOR, HER ADVOCACY OF UNIONS, HER PACIFISM – BUT SHE WAS A ROCK-SOLID CATHOLIC, DEVOTED TO THE EUCHARIST AND THE BLESSED MOTHER, SO MUCH SO THAT PEOPLE HAD A HARD TIME SEEING HOW SHE COULD BE RADICAL IN TERMS OF POLITICS BUT SO CONVENTIONAL IN TERMS OF HER RELIGIOUS BELIEFS.
SHE WROTE IN HER AUTOBIOGRAPHY: “NOT LONG AFTERWARD A PRIEST WANTED ME TO WRITE A STORY OF MY CONVERSION, TELLING HOW THE SOCIAL TEACHING OF THE CHURCH HAD LED ME TO EMBRACE CATHOLICISM. BUT I KNEW NOTHING OF THE SOCIAL TEACHING OF THE CHURCH AT THAT TIME. I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THE ENCYCLICALS. I FELT THAT THE CHURCH WAS THE CHURCH OF THE POOR, THAT ST. PATRICK’S HAD BEEN BUILT FROM THE PENNIES OF SERVANT GIRLS, THAT IT CARED FOR THE EMIGRANT, IT ESTABLISHED HOSPITALS, ORPHANAGES, DAY NURSERIES, HOUSES OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD, HOMES FOR THE AGED ... “ DOROTHY DAY DID NOT CONVERT FOR INTELLECTUAL REASONS OR BECAUSE SHE HAD LIVED WITH A CATHOLIC. HER CONVERSION WAS ALMOST IN SPITE OF WHAT SHE KNEW OF CATHOLICS AND CATHOLICISM, BECAUSE EVEN WHEN SHE CONVERTED, SHE FELT THAT ALL THE WONDERFUL THINGS THE CHURCH DID WOULD NOT BE NECESSARY IF THE CHURCH USED ITS POWER TO CHANGE SOCIETY.
SO DOROTHY DAY WAS CONVERTED PRIMARILY AND ONLY BECAUSE IN ALL THE WORLD, THERE WAS ONE PLACE WHERE SHE COULD SEE THAT THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN WAS AT HAND – THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED IN TODAY'S GOSPEL. NOTICE THAT JESUS DID NOT EQUIP THE SEVENTY DISCIPLES WITH CLEVER ARGUMENTS OR WELL WRITTEN COMMENTARIES. IN FACT, HE INSISTED THAT THEY TRAVEL PRETTY LIGHTLY – NO WALKING STICK, NO MONEY, NO BAG IN WHICH TO CARRY A LITTLE LUNCH – NO SHOES EVEN. AND HIS CHARGE TO THEM WAS FIRST, TO HEAL THE SICK, THEN TO ANNOUNCE THAT THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS AT HAND. AND THE RESULTS WERE SPECTACULAR! EVEN JESUS WAS IMPRESSED.
IN PLACES WHERE THE CHURCH IS GROWING, IN AFRICA WHERE IT HAS TRIPLED IN MEMBERSHIP IN TWENTY YEARS; IN INDIA, WHERE THE CHURCH IS SENDING INDIAN PRIESTS AND NUNS TO OTHER COUNTRIES; EVEN IN CHINA, WHERE DESPITE INCREDIBLE ODDS, THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IS ALIVE AND HEALTHY AND GROWING – WHERE THE CHURCH IS HEALTHIEST, THAT IS WHERE PEOPLE SEE THAT THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS AT HAND.
IT'S HARDER TO SEE IT IN OUR COUNTRY. HERE IN NEW ENGLAND, WE'VE SEEN THE CHARITABLE WORKS OF THE CHURCH TAKE A REAL HIT; THIS YEAR OUR DIOCESE HAS LAID OFF ONE THIRD OF THE EMPLOYEES AND RETRENCHED IN TERMS OF ITS MINISTRIES. AMONG THOSE HARDEST HIT, OF COURSE, WILL BE THE POOR WHO HAVE DEPENDED ON THE SERVICES OF THE CHURCH. OVER THE PAST 20 YEARS WE'VE SEEN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS AND HOSPITALS CLOSE. TODAY IF YOU ARE POOR AND NEEDY YOU WOULD PROBABLY TURN TO SOME GOVERNMENT AGENCY FIRST; THE CHURCH WOULD NOT BE YOUR FIRST THOUGHT.
OUR CHURCH CAN WIN A FEW SOULS WITH INTELLECTUAL ARGUMENTS, AND A FEW MORE THROUGH MARRIAGE, ALTHOUGH WE PROBABLY LOSE AS MANY AS WE GAIN THROUGH MIXED MARRIAGES. BUT IF THE CHURCH IS TRULY GOING TO WIN SOULS SOMEHOW WE HAVE TO GET BACK TO SHOWING THE WORLD THAT THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS AT HAND. SO THE QUESTION FOR TODAY IS, HOW ARE YOU AND I GOING TO SHOW THE PEOPLE OF LONGMEADOW THAT THE KINGDOM IS AT HAND?
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