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?

Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

LUKE 14:25-33

SAINT LOUIS OF FRANCE WAS A GREAT KING. HE CONTROLLED FRANCE AND OWNED CASTLES. DURING HIS LIFETIME, HE ACCUMULATED MORE AND MORE FOR THE MONARCHY, AND AT HIS DEATH IT PASSED TO HIS SON. IN FACT THERE WERE MANY KINGS AND QUEENS WHO BECAME SAINTS. MOST OF THEM HAD MANY POSSESSIONS. SAINT THERESA OF LISEAUX WAS VERY CLOSE TO HER FATHER, WHO HAS BEEN BEATIFIED. AFTER HER MOTHER'S DEATH, HE AND ONE OF HER OLDER SISTERS PRACTICALLY RAISED HER, AND SHE NEVER FORGOT IT. SAINT BENEDICT AND HIS SISTER, SAINT SCHOLASTICA, WERE SO CLOSE THAT WHEN SCHOLASTICA WAS DYING, BENEDICT BROKE HIS OWN RULES SO THAT HE COULD LEAVE THE MONASTERY AND BE WITH HER. AND SAINT AUGUSTINE NEVER TURNED HIS BACK ON HIS MOTHER, SAINT MONICA.

OUR CHURCH HAS PROCLAIMED THAT THESE INDIVIDUALS ARE IN HEAVEN, AND THEREFORE THEY WERE DISCIPLES OF JESUS WHILE ON EARTH. AND YET, WE HEAR JESUS' OWN WORDS TODAY – UNLESS YOU HATE FATHER AND MOTHER....YOU CAN NOT BE MY DISCIPLE. UNLESS YOU RENOUNCE ALL YOUR POSSESSIONS, YOU CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE. AND JESUS TELLS US THAT UNLESS YOU TAKE UP YOUR CROSS AND FOLLOW HIM, YOU CANNOT BE HIS DISCIPLE. UNLESS YOU HATE YOUR VERY LIFE, YOU CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE. WHAT SHOULD WE MAKE OF ALL THOSE STATEMENTS? DOES JESUS MEAN WHAT HE SAYS? OR IS HE JUST EXAGGERATING FOR RHETORICAL EFFECT?

I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO LOOK AT THIS WHOLE PASSAGE FROM THE GOSPEL OF LUKE. IN THE MIDDLE, JESUS GIVES TWO EXAMPLES – A PERSON WHO SETS OUT TO BUILD A TOWER, BUT ISN'T ABLE TO COMPLETE IT BECAUSE HE DIDN'T THINK IT THROUGH, DIDN'T GET THE NECESSARY CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS AND LABORERS. AND PEOPLE LAUGH AT HIM FOR BEING SUCH A DUNCE. AND THE KING WHO IS BEING BESIEGED BY ANOTHER KING. HE CAREFULLY CALCULATES WHETHER HE HAS WHAT HE NEEDS TO KEEP THE ATTACKING ARMY FROM OVERWHELMING HIS OWN KINGDOM – AND IF HE DECIDES HE DOESN'T HAVE ENOUGH TROOPS, HE SENDS A MESSENGER TO FIND OUT THE TERMS OF SURRENDER.

AND REMEMBER, THIS IS ADDRESSED TO THE CROWDS THAT FOLLOW JESUS.

I DON'T THINK JESUS MEANS FOR US TO LITERALLY HATE THOSE WHO OUR HUMAN NATURE TELLS US TO LOVE. I DON'T THINK JESUS MEANS FOR US TO GIVE UP EVERYTHING AND GO LIVE UNDER A BRIDGE SOMEWHERE. I THINK JESUS IS TELLING US SOMETHING DIFFERENT, SOMETHING MORE PROFOUND.

IF YOU WANT TO BECOME A DISCIPLE OF JESUS, IT IS HARD WORK. YOU'VE GOT TO WORK AT IT A LITTLE EVERY DAY. HE WILL GIVE YOU WHAT YOU NEED, BUT HE EXPECTS YOU TO EXAMINE YOUR CONSCIENCE, LEARN WHAT HE WANTS OF YOU, AND ASK PARDON FOR YOUR SINS. HE EXPECTS YOU TO DEVELOP VIRTUES, WHICH ARE HABITS THAT LEAD TO GRACE. HE EXPECTS YOU TO LISTEN TO HIS WORD, CONVEYED THROUGH THE BIBLE AND THROUGH THE CHURCH. YOU CAN'T BE A DISCIPLE BECAUSE YOU PRAY, YOU LIVE A GOOD LIFE, YOU AVOID SERIOUS SIN. AND JESUS TELLS US THE THREE GREAT BARRIERS TO BECOMING A DISCIPLE. THEY ARE:

FAMILY AND FRIENDS. IN ANY FAMILY, YOU WILL FIND DIFFERENT LEVELS OF SPIRITUAL PROGRESS – AND AT THE SAME TIME, CONFLICTS OVER THAT. LITTLE JIMMY WANTS TO BE A PRIEST. DAD AND MOM THINK HE SHOULD USE HIS TALENTS TO BE A DOCTOR, OR A LAWYER. EVENTUALLY HE GOES ALONG WITH THEM. MOM IS ALWAYS DOING SOMETHING FOR THE CHURCH. DAD GETS TO MASS ON SUNDAY, LITTLE ELSE. WHEN MOM IS ABOUT TO GO OFF TO TEACH IN THE FAITH FORMATION PROGRAM, HE ALWAYS CRITICIZES HER FOR NEGLECTING HER FAMILY. EVENTUALLY SHE RESIGNS. THE MEMBERS OF OUR FAMILIES HAVE TREMENDOUS INFLUENCE OVER US, AND CAN COME BETWEEN JESUS AND OURSELVES. AND SOMETIMES, YOU HAVE TO MAKE A CHOICE.

POSSESSIONS. EVEN A FRANCISCAN NEEDS POSSESSIONS. GOT TO HAVE A ROBE, SANDALS – AND LIVE IN A COMMUNITY WHICH COLLECTIVELY POSSESSES THE MINIMAL AMOUNT OF WHAT IS NECESSARY FOR LIFE. AND POSSESSIONS HELP US CARRY OUT OUR MINISTRY. IN TODAY'S WORLD, A PARISH PRIEST WITHOUT A CAR WOULD HAVE PROBLEMS CARRYING OUT HIS DUTIES. POSSESSIONS, OF COURSE, INCLUDE THINGS LIKE TAKING VACATIONS, GOING GOLFING OR FISHING; BECAUSE WE BASICALLY TRADE A POSSESSION, MONEY, FOR AN EXPERIENCE. BUT SOMETIMES WE FACE CHOICES – SOME PEOPLE AQUIRE ALMOST AS A MATTER OF ADDICTION; OTHERS SPEND A LOT OF TIME WORRYING ABOUT WHAT THEY HAVE AND HOW TO KEEP IT. AND OF COURSE, SOME OF US WOULD RATHER SPEND OUR SURPLUS INCOME ON A BETTER CAR OR A GREAT VACATION, THAN CONTRIBUTE TO THE WELFARE OF OTHERS – FORGETTING THAT ANCIENT COMMANDMENT TO GIVE 10% – TO TITHE. POSSESSIONS OFTEN COME BETWEEN US AND JESUS.

AND OUR CROSSES. WE ALL HAVE THEM, SOME LARGE, SOME SMALL. CROSSES HOLD US DOWN; OUR TENDENCY IS TO TURN INWARD WHEN WE ARE SICK OR IN PAIN. IF WE ARE IN A BAD MARRIAGE, OR RAISING A CHILD WITHOUT A SPOUSE, OR HAVE JUST LOST OUR JOB, WE FEEL THAT IT IS ALL WE CAN DO TO COPE WITH OUR CROSS. AND YET, JESUS TELLS US TO PICK UP OUR CROSS AND FOLLOW HIM. OUR CROSSES CAN GET BETWEEN US AND JESUS.

TODAY JESUS TELLS US THAT IF WE REALLY WANT TO BE HIS DISCIPLE, WE HAVE TO BE PREPARED FOR BARRIERS THAT WILL GET IN THE WAY. IF WE AREN'T PREPARED TO CHOOSE HIM RATHER THAN A FAMILY MEMBER, IF WE AREN'T PREPARED TO CHOOSE HIM RATHER THAN A POSSESSION, IF WE AREN'T PREPARED TO CHOOSE HIM RATHER THAN LET OUR CROSS HOLD US BACK, THEN WE SHOULDN'T EVEN START. BUT HOW DO WE PREPARE? THERE ARE THREE TOOLS WE HAVE. ONE IS PRAYER – IT HELPS US KNOW AND LOVE GOD, AND BECAUSE OUR LOVE IS STRENGTHENED, WE ARE READY TO CHOOSE HIM OVER ALL OUR OTHER LOVES. A SECOND IS FASTING. WHEN WE DEPRIVE OURSELVES OF SOMETHING, WE GROW STRONGER, SO THAT WHEN A TIME COMES WHEN WE HAVE TO CARRY OUR CROSS TO FOLLOW HIM, WE ARE STRONG ENOUGH TO DO SO. AND ONE IS ALMSGIVING OR GIVING AWAY SOME OF OUR RICHES. WHEN WE DO THIS, WE DETACH OURSELVES FROM WHAT WE HAVE, SO THAT IF WE EVER HAVE TO CHOOSE GOD OVER OUR POSSESSIONS, WE HAVE THE STRENGTH.

SO THAT IS THE LESSON OF THIS GOSPEL. BE PREPARED SO THAT WE ARE UP TO THE TASK BEFORE US – TO TAKE POSSESSION OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

LUKE 14:1, 7-14

THIS GOSPEL SEEMS TO BE ABOUT PRACTICING HUMILITY, ON THE SURFACE. BUT WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, JESUS SEEMS TO BE TELLING US THAT IF WE REALLY WANT TO BE EXALTED, WELL, ACT IN A HUMBLE WAY. HE ALL BUT PROMISES THAT IF WE ACT HUMBLY, WE WILL BE ESTEEMED. THAT SEEMS TO BE A FUNNY REASON FOR BEING HUMBLE, AND WHEN YOU ACT IN A HUMBLE WAY IN ORDER TO BE PUT ON A PEDESTAL, YOU AREN'T VERY HUMBLE AT ALL. BUT THAT'S THE PROBLEM WHEN WE TAKE A SENTENCE OR TWO OUT OF THE GOSPELS. IT'S SO IMPORTANT TO LOOK AT THE WHOLE CONTEXT.

SO WHAT DOES JESUS MEAN BY HUMILITY? HUMILITY REALLY HAS TO DO WITH THE ACCEPTANCE OF TRUTH NOT JUST IN THE MIND, BUT AT THE LEVEL OF THE WHOLE PERSON. AND THE FIRST STEP IN ACCEPTING TRUTH IS TO RECOGNIZE IT. PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN WAS A HUMBLE MAN. AFTER HIS DEATH, 3500 LETTERS WERE FOUND WHICH HE HAD WRITTEN DURING HIS PRESIDENCY. HE MADE IT A POINT TO PERSONALLY ANSWER LETTERS FROM ORDINARY CITIZENS, INCLUDING CHILDREN. HE KNEW A TRUTH – THAT DESPITE HIS ACHIEVEMENTS, HE WAS AT THE CENTER OF HIS BEING JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN ALWAYS COMES TO MIND AS A PERSON WHO WAS HUMBLE. ONE TIME HE WAS VISITING A WARD FULL OF INJURED SOLDIERS, AND CAME TO A YOUNG MAN WHO WAS BLIND. THE YOUNG MAN DIDN'T RECOGNIZE HIM, AND ASKED HIM IF HE WOULD BE SO KIND AS TO WRITE A LETTER TO THE YOUNG MAN'S FAMILY, INFORMING THEM OF HIS SITUATION. LINCOLN SAT DOWN, TOOK OUT A PEN AND PAPER, AND DID EXACTLY THAT. HE KNEW A TRUTH – THAT OUR STATUS IN LIFE IS NOT A REASON TO REFUSE TO HELP SOMEONE WHEN YOU CAN.

DOROTHY DAY WAS A HUMBLE PERSON. SHE BECAME FAMOUS LATER IN HER LIFE BECAUSE OF HER WORK IN THE SLUMS OF NEW YORK AND HER PROTESTS AGAINST THE VIETNAM WAR. ONE DAY A REPORTER WHO HAD BEEN ASSIGNED TO WRITE A STORY ABOUT HER WAS SHOWN TO A ROOM WHERE SHE WAS CONVERSING WITH A WOMAN WHO WAS OBVIOUSLY A STREET PERSON, DIRTY, DISHEVELED, AND MENTALLY ILL. AFTER A FEW MINUTES, DOROTHY LOOKED UP AND SAID, “DO YOU WANT TO SPEAK WITH ONE OF US?” SHE KNEW A TRUTH: HER DIGNITY AND HER VALUE TO SOCIETY WAS NO DIFFERENT THAN THE WOMAN WITH WHOM SHE WAS TALKING.

MAYBE YOU SEE WHERE I AM GOING WITH THIS. AFTER JESUS TELLS THE GUESTS AT THE PARTY THAT IT WOULD BE BETTER TO FIND A SPOT AT THE WRONG END OF THE TABLE AND BE ASKED TO MOVE CLOSER, HE TELLS THE HOST THAT HE SHOULD HAVE A DINNER PARTY WHERE HE INVITES PEOPLE WHO CAN'T PAY HIM BACK, PEOPLE WHO ARE POOR, CRIPPLED, LAME OR BLIND. AND I THINK JESUS' POINT IS THAT UNTIL WE CAN DO THAT, WE AREN'T REALLY CAPABLE OF HUMILITY.

HUMILITY IS ACCEPTING THE TRUTH IN THE CORE OF OUR BEING. AND THE TRUTH IS THAT EVERY HUMAN BEING IS FIRST OF ALL, A SINNER. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT KIND OF SIN WE ARE TALKING ABOUT. EVEN THE MOST SAINTLY AMONG US STILL DOESN'T TRUST GOD COMPLETELY, STILL WORRIES ABOUT TOMORROW, STILL HAS MOMENTS OF DOUBT – THAT'S BECAUSE WE ARE HUMAN. MOTHER THERESA BECAME A SAINT NOT BECAUSE SHE HAD SOME MYSTICAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD, BUT PRECISELY BECAUSE SHE SPENT HER LIFE DOING GOD'S WORK EVEN THOUGH TO HER DISMAY SHE DID NOT EXPERIENCE THAT SENSE OF UNION, OF CONSOLATION, THAT SHE LONGED FOR. THE SECOND TRUTH IS THAT JESUS DIED FOR EACH ONE OF US. THE THIRD IS THAT WE ALL HAVE THE SAME FATHER. THOSE THREE THINGS MAKE EACH HUMAN BEING MORE LIKE THE NEXT ONE THAN DIFFERENT.

WE SPEND OUR LIVES IN A CIRCLE OF FRIENDS AND RELATIVES WITH WHOM WE ARE COMFORTABLE. THAT'S NORMAL; IN THAT, WE DON'T DIFFER A LOT FROM OTHER SOCIAL ANIMALS. A BAND OF ELEPHANTS WON'T ADOPT AN ORPHAN ELEPHANT BABY; THEY WILL USUALLY CHASE IT AWAY. WHEN TWO BANDS OF BABOONS MEET EACH OTHER, THEY FIGHT UNTIL ONE GROUP IS DRIVEN OFF. AND WHEN SOMEONE SHOWS UP IN A COLLECTION OF PEOPLE WHO HAS A STRONG ACCENT, OR A DIFFERENT SKIN COLOR, OR IS A MEMBER OF AN UNFAMILIAR RELIGION, HE OR SHE WILL AT THE BEST BE WATCHED CLOSELY, AS THE FRIENDS OF THE PHARISEE WERE WATCHING JESUS.

BUT A CHARACTERISTIC OF A HUMBLE PERSON IS THAT SHE HAS NO PROBLEMS ACCEPTING PEOPLE WHO ARE OTHERWISE AT THE MARGINS OF SOCIETY. LIKE DOROTHY DAY, SHE DOESN'T SEE A DIFFERENCE BIG ENOUGH TO MAKE A FUSS ABOUT. LIKE ABRAHAM LINCOLN, HE HAS NO SENSE OF ENTITLEMENT, OF SELF-WORTH, THAT WOULD STAND IN THE WAY OF DOING SOMETHING FOR ANOTHER PERSON IF ASKED. LIKE RONALD REAGAN, HE CONSIDERS NO ONE BENEATH HIS ATTENTION.

THAT'S WHY JESUS URGES HIS HOST TO INVITE THE POOR, THE LAME, THE CRIPPLED, THE BLIND TO HIS BANQUET. HUMILITY IS NOT BELIEVING I AM WORTH LESS THAN I MAY REALLY BE. IT IS NOT DOING SOMETHING SO THAT PEOPLE WILL PRAISE ME FOR MY HUMILITY. TO REALLY DEVELOP THE VIRTUE OF HUMILITY, WE HAVE TO PRACTICE IT, AND THAT COMES BY FORGETTING SELF, BY CEASING TO DRAW DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN YOURSELF AND OTHERS. AND IN ORDER TO DO THIS, YOU HAVE TO ACTUALLY GO OUT AND DRAW PEOPLE INTO YOUR OWN CIRCLE WHOM YOU WOULD NORMALLY HAVE VERY LITTLE TO DO WITH.

I BET ALL OF US KNOW OF A PERSON WE'D RATHER NOT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH. I BET ALL OF US KNOW OF SOMEONE WHO IS MENTALLY CHALLENGED AND BECAUSE OF THAT VERY DIFFICULT TO TALK TO. I BET WE ALL COULD THINK OF SOMEONE WHO IS SOCIALLY INEPT, AND HAS HABITS AND MANNERISMS THAT TURN PEOPLE AWAY. IF YOU WANT HUMILITY, IF YOU WANT TO BE EXALTED, YOU AND I NEED TO INVITE THEM TO OUR BANQUET, TO GENUINELY TREAT THEM AS WE WOULD TREAT PEOPLE WITHIN OUR OWN SOCIAL CIRCLE, OUR OWN FAMILY. TO THE EXTENT WE DO THIS, WE BECOME HUMBLE – BUT THE MORE WE DO THIS, THE LESS WE THINK OF OURSELVES, AND BEGAN TO SEE THE BROTHERHOOD THAT EXISTS BETWEEN ALL PEOPLE. IT'S WORTH THE TROUBLE.

Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

LUKE 13:22-30

DURING THIS LAST WEEK WE CELEBRATED THE FEAST OF THE QUEENSHIP OF MARY. TODAY WE HEAR JESUS ANSWER THE QUESTION, “LORD, WILL ONLY A FEW PEOPLE BE SAVED?” AND JESUS NEVER GIVES A YES OR NO ANSWER. INSTEAD, HE TELLS HIS LISTENERS TO STRIVE TO ENTER THROUGH THE NARROW GATE. SO WHAT IS HE TALKING ABOUT? WHERE IS THE NARROW GATE? JESUS POINTS OUT THAT THOSE WHO ATE AND DRANK WITH HIM AND THOSE WHO HEARD HIM PREACH HAVE NO SPECIAL CLAIM ON BEING SAVED. AND JESUS IMPLIES THAT PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER, NOT JUST JEWS, WOULD ENTER THE KINGDOM. SO IN A SENSE JESUS IS ADDRESSING THE COMMON NOTION HELD AT THAT TIME THAT A JEWISH PERSON HAD A SPECIAL CLAIM ON GOD BY VIRTUE OF THE FACT THAT HE WAS A JEW. NOT AT ALL, JESUS SAYS. EVERYONE HAS THE OPPORTUNITY.

WILL ONLY A FEW PEOPLE BE SAVED? EVERY NOW AND THEN A POLL IS TAKEN, AND USUALLY ABOUT 90% OF PEOPLE WHO CONSIDER THEMSELVES RELIGIOUS BELIEVE THEY ARE GOING TO BE SAVED. THE OTHER TEN PERCENT AREN'T SURE. PEOPLE WHO ARE RELIGIOUS ALMOST NEVER BELIEVE THEY ARE GOING TO HELL. WE RELIGIOUS CHRISTIANS HAVE BEEN BAPTIZED, WE GO TO CHURCH, IF WE DID SOMETHING TERRIBLE WE'VE RECEIVED THE ASSURANCE IN THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE THAT WE'VE BEEN FORGIVEN. SOME OF US RELIGIOUS PEOPLE VOLUNTEER AND SOME SUPPORT A CHARITY OR TWO; AND MOST OF US RELIGIOUS PEOPLE TRY TO TREAT OTHER PEOPLE WITH KINDNESS AND NOT COMMIT ADULTERY OR MURDER OR ROBBERY. AND YOU KNOW, IT ISN'T HARD TO LIVE THAT WAY. IN FACT IT'S PROBABLY EASIER TO STAY OUT OF TROUBLE THAN TO GET INTO TROUBLE. SO WHAT IS JESUS TALKING ABOUT WHEN HE SAYS, “STRIVE TO ENTER THE NARROW GATE?” – WHEN HE IMPLIES THAT MANY WILL ATTEMPT TO ENTER BUT NOT BE STRONG ENOUGH. MOST OF US RELIGIOUS PEOPLE WOULD HAVE A HARD TIME DESCRIBING WHAT WE ARE DOING AS STRIVING, AS REQUIRING STRENGTH.

THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS WHERE GOD'S WILL IS DONE. WE LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE WE ARE CONSTANTLY TRYING TO DO OUR OWN WILL. AND THAT'S NOT A BAD THING – NOTHING WOULD EVER GET DONE IF WE DID NOT FIRST WILL IT TO BE DONE. SOME PEOPLE WOULD DESPAIR OF EVER KNOWING GOD'S WILL; OTHERS SEEM TO THINK THAT DOING GOD'S WILL MEANS NOT DOING YOUR OWN WILL. BUT THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS THAT THIS IS PRECISELY WHERE THE STRIVING COMES IN – WE HAVE TO SHAPE OUR OWN WILL SO THAT WE WANT WHAT GOD WANTS. AFTER ALL, THAT IS PRECISELY WHAT JESUS SHOWED US IN HIS OWN LIFE – “MY FOOD IS TO DO THE WILL OF MY FATHER.”

AND THAT OF COURSE IS WHERE THE QUEENSHIP OF MARY COMES IN. WE ALL KNOW WHAT GOD WANTS IN GENERAL – HE WANTS A WORLD WHERE THERE IS NO POVERTY, WHERE THERE IS NO SICKNESS, WHERE THERE PEOPLE ARE FREE TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT. HE WANTS WARS TO END, ABORTION TO STOP; HE IS AGAINST RACIAL AND RELIGIOUS PREJUDICE – WE COULD MAKE A LONG LIST. YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A ROCKET SCIENTIST TO KNOW WHAT GOD WANTS. SO DOES GOD WANT YOU TO BE ANOTHER MOTHER THERESA? ANOTHER FRANCIS XAVIER, WHO PLANTED CHRISTIANITY ALL OVER THE COAST OF SOUTHERN ASIA? NOT REALLY. THERE WERE SAINTS WHO ACCOMPLISHED THINGS WHICH SEEM ALMOST MIRACULOUS; SAINTS WHO LABORED TIRELESSLY TO MAKE THE WORLD A LITTLE MORE LIKE THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS SUPPOSED TO BE. BUT THE GREATEST SAINT OF ALL, THE BLESSED MOTHER, GAVE BIRTH TO A CHILD, AND SPENT HER LIFE TAKING CARE OF HIM AND SAINT JOSEPH, COOKING AND CLEANING AND COMFORTING AND CARING – AND NO ONE WOULD KNOW SHE HAD EVEN EXISTED WERE IT NOT FOR HER SON. AND FACE IT, WHAT MARY DID WITH HER LIFE IS NO DIFFERENT THAN WHAT BILLIONS OF WOMEN DOWN THROUGH THE AGES HAVE DONE; AND THE SAME COULD BE SAID OF SAINT JOSEPH AND OF BILLIONS OF MEN.

BUT THE DIFFERENCE, THE REASON MARY IS QUEEN OF HEAVEN AND EARTH, IS PRECISELY BECAUSE SHE ENTERED THROUGH THE NARROW GATE. HER WHOLE LIFE WAS SUMMED UP IN HER REPLY TO THE ANGEL, “BE IT DONE TO ME ACCORDING TO YOUR WORD!” AND WE HAVE HER GIVING A WORD OF ADVICE TO A FEW SERVANTS AT A WEDDING, ADVICE THAT WE COULD USE OURSELVES – DO WHATEVER HE TELLS YOU TO DO.” AND SHE SPEAKS TWO MORE TIMES FOR WHICH WE HAVE RECORDS – SHE SINGS “MY SOUL MAGNIFIES THE LORD.” SHE REJOICES BECAUSE THERE IS NOTHING STANDING BETWEEN HER AND HER CREATOR. AND SHE SAYS, “SON, WHY DID YOU TREAT US THIS WAY? YOUR FATHER AND I HAVE BEEN BESIDE OURSELVES WITH ANXIETY.” – SINCE ALL SHE WANTED WAS TO DO THE WILL OF GOD FOR HER, WHICH WAS TO CARE FOR THIS SON WITH LOVE.

SAINT THERESE' OF LISEAUX SPENT MUCH OF HER SHORT LIFE IN A CLOISTERED CONVENT. SHE REALIZED THAT SHE DIDN'T HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A MISSIONARY, AND SHE WASN'T EDUCATED ENOUGH TO BE A GREAT TEACHER; AND IT DIDN'T LOOK LIKE SHE WAS GOING TO GET TO BE A MARTYR ANY TIME SOON. BUT SHE KNEW WHAT GOD WANTED FOR HER – AND WANTS FOR EVERY ONE OF HIS PEOPLE – TO DO EVERY LITTLE THING WITH LOVE. AND THAT IS HOW WE STRIVE TO ENTER THROUGH THE NARROW GATE – WE EAT WITH LOVE, WE WORK WITH LOVE, WE GO TO BED AT NIGHT WITH LOVE, WE OPEN THE MAIL WITH LOVE – WE ARE CONSCIOUS THAT EVERY MOMENT OF OUR LIVES CAN EITHER BE WITH LOVE OR NOT WITH LOVE. AND MAYBE GOD WILL DECIDE TO USE THIS ONE FOR SOME GREAT WORK, OR THAT ONE FOR SOME GREAT SACRIFICE; MAYBE GOD WILL CALL ONE OF US TO BE A GREAT LEADER OF HIS PEOPLE. REMEMBER THE WORDS OF THE MASTER IN JESUS' PARABLE, “WELL DONE, GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT; YOU HAVE BEEN FAITHFUL OVER A LITTLE, I WILL SET YOU OVER MUCH; ENTER INTO THE JOY OF YOUR MASTER.”

STRIVING TO ENTER THROUGH THE NARROW GATE IS A CONSTANT STRUGGLE. BUT IT IS SO WORTH THE EFFORT. WHEN WE DO EVERYTHING WITH LOVE, WE TRANSFORM WHAT SEEMS TO HAVE NO VALUE INTO SOMETHING THAT HAS INFINITE VALUE. WHEN WE DO EVERYTHING WITH LOVE, GOD HIMSELF WORKS IN US, BECAUSE GOD, AS SAINT JOHN TELLS US, IS LOVE.

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

LUKE 12:49-53

SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI WAS THE SON OF A WEALTHY MERCHANT, AND A REAL PARTY ANIMAL. WHEN HE WENT THROUGH HIS CONVERSION, HE SOLD HIS HORSE AND TOOK THE MONEY AND SOME OF HIS FATHER'S CLOTH TO OBTAIN ENOUGH MONEY TO REBUILD AN OLD CHURCH. HIS FATHER WAS SO ANGRY THAT HE APPEALED TO THE TOWN COUNSEL TO DECLARE HIS SON DISOWNED. FRANCIS TOOK OFF HIS CLOTHING, THREW THEM AT HIS FATHER'S FEET, AND DECLARED THAT HE WOULD ONLY CALL GOD HIS FATHER FROM THEN ON. SAINT THOMAS JOINED THE DOMINICAN ORDER, AND THAT MADE HIS FAMILY SO ANGRY THAT THEY IMPRISONED HIM FOR TWO YEARS, AND DID EVERYTHING THEY COULD TO DESTROY HIS VOCATION. IN THE END WHEN THOMAS WAS FREED, HE AND HIS FAMILY HAD NOTHING MORE TO DO WITH EACH OTHER. AND THERE WERE MANY OTHER SAINTS WHO, WHEN THEY SET OUT ON THEIR VOCATION, HAD TO SEVER THEIR BONDS WITH THEIR FAMILIES.

IT'S INTERESTING THAT WE CHRISTIANS CONSIDER OURSELVES FAMILY PEOPLE. WE ARE PROUD OF THE IDEA THAT FAMILIES LIE AT THE HEART OF THE CHURCH, THAT A FAMILY IS A “LITTLE CHURCH”. WE VENERATE THE HOLY FAMILY, AND LOOK TO THEIR PEACE AND LOVE AS A GOAL FOR OUR OWN FAMILIES. TODAY, THOUGH, JESUS TOSSES OUT SOME HARD WORDS – HE DOES NOT COME TO BRING PEACE, BUT THE SWORD; AND EVEN PEOPLE WHO ARE MEMBERS OF FAMILIES WILL BE DIVIDED FROM EACH OTHER BECAUSE OF HIM. THIS ISN'T THE ONLY PLACE JESUS PUZZLES US A BIT. WHEN HIS PARENTS FIND HIM IN THE TEMPLE, HE REBUKES THEM AND ASKS, “DID YOU NOT KNOW I MUST BE DOING MY FATHER'S WILL?” ANOTHER TIME AT THE BEGINNING OF HIS MINISTRY HIS MOTHER AND OTHER RELATIVES COME AFTER HIM – POSSIBLY HOPING TO TALK HIM INTO GIVING UP THIS CRAZY IDEA OF BECOMING A WANDERING PREACHER AND RETURNING TO NAZARETH. WHEN HE IS TOLD THEY ARE OUTSIDE, HE REPLIES, “THESE ARE MY MOTHER AND MY BROTHERS, WHO HEAR THE WORD OF GOD AND KEEP IT.” ANOTHER TIME HE DECLARES, “WHOEVER COMES TO ME AND DOES NOT HATE FATHER AND MOTHER, WIFE AND CHILDREN, BROTHERS AND SISTERS, YES, AND EVEN LIFE ITSELF, CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE.” AND JESUS IS HARD ON OTHER FAMILIES AS WELL. WHEN HE CALLS JAMES AND JOHN, THEY LEAVE THEIR FATHER ZEBEDEE, LEAVING HIM TWO HANDS SHORT IN HIS FAMILY BUSINESS – AND APPARENTLY NEVER GO BACK. PROBABLY SIMILAR STORIES COULD BE TOLD ABOUT ALL THE APOSTLES, BUT THEY WEREN'T WRITTEN DOWN. WE KNOW PETER HAD A MOTHER-IN-LAW, WHICH IMPLIES THAT HE HAD A WIFE, AND PROBABLY SOME CHILDREN. IN FACT IT'S LIKELY THAT MOST IF NOT ALL THE APOSTLES WERE MARRIED WHEN THEY LEFT EVERYTHING TO FOLLOW JESUS – YOU WOULD BE A PRETTY STRANGE JEW TO MAKE IT TO ADULTHOOD WITHOUT HAVING BEEN MARRIED OFF. BEING SINGLE IN THOSE DAYS WAS CONSIDERED A CURSE. SO THERE WAS PROBABLY MORE THAN ONE FAMILY IN FIRST CENTURY PALESTINE WHICH HAD BEEN BROKEN UP BY JESUS.

IT ISN'T THAT JESUS IS AGAINST FAMILIES. WHAT IS THE CASE, THOUGH, IS THAT JESUS IS WARNING US THAT IF WE REALLY WANT TO FOLLOW HIM, WE CAN EXPECT THAT ONE OF OUR BIGGEST OBSTACLES WILL BE THOSE WE LOVE, THOSE WHO CONSTITUTE A FAMILY WITH US. THERE ARE PURELY NATURAL REASONS THAT THIS IS SO. IN A FAMILY, YOU FILL A ROLE, YOU FIT IN A NICHE. THERE IS SOMETHING ORDERLY AND TRANQUIL ABOUT THIS EQUILIBRIUM. WHEN THAT IS THREATENED, EVERYONE IS THREATENED, BECAUSE IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO GET BACK TO THAT ORDERLY AND TRANQUIL STATE IF ONE OF THE PIECES OF THE PUZZLE HAS CHANGED. AND JESUS KNOWS THAT SOMEONE WHO FOLLOWS HIM HAS TO CHANGE – THAT'S THE FIRST STEP, THAT'S WHAT “REPENTANCE” MEANS.

IN OUR CONTEMPORARY FAMILIES, THE CHILDREN AREN'T AS NECESSARY TO THE PARENT'S WELL-BEING; PEOPLE DON'T EAT TOGETHER AS MUCH; WE LIVE FAR AWAY FROM OUR RELATIVES, OUR PARENTS, BROTHERS AND SISTERS, OUR CHILDREN – OUR FAMILIES ARE NOT NEARLY AS TIGHTLY KNIT AS THEY WERE IN THE DAYS OF JESUS. AND IN JESUS' TIME, IT WAS UNUSUAL FOR A FAMILY TO CONSIST OF PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT FAITHS AND DIFFERENT DEGREES OF FAITH; PEOPLE WERE ON ROUGHLY THE SAME LEVEL IN THEIR FAITH JOURNEY. BUT IN OUR SOCIETY, EVEN WHEN YOU HAVE TWO CATHOLICS BEING MARRIED AND RAISING THEIR CHILDREN CATHOLIC, EVEN THEN IT'S MORE LIKELY THAT EVERYONE IS AT A DIFFERENT LEVEL IN THEIR FAITH JOURNEY. DAD STOPPED GOING TO CHURCH EXCEPT ON THE MAJOR HOLY DAYS. MOM TEACHES CCD AND PARTICIPATES IN THE WEEKLY ROSARY AND WOULD NEVER THINK OF MISSING MASS. JUNIOR, WHO IS IN COLLEGE, HAS STOPPED GOING TO CHURCH ALTOGETHER, AND HIS SISTER, WHO IS IN GRADUATE SCHOOL, HAS JUST LET EVERYONE KNOW SHE HAS BECOME A SCIENTOLOGIST. AND DAD THINKS MOM IS HOLIER THAN THOU AND LOOKS DOWN ON HIM; AND SHE FEELS VERY LONELY AND WISHES HE'D SHOW SOME INTEREST; AND THEY ARE BOTH WORRIED ABOUT THE KIDS, ONE OF WHOM THINKS THEY ARE OLD FASHIONED AND SUPERSTITIOUS, AND THE OTHER WHO THINKS THEY ARE MISSING OUT ON SOMETHING WONDERFUL. THEY ARE DIVIDED FROM EACH OTHER, JUST AS JESUS PREDICTED.

IT ISN'T THAT JESUS IS AGAINST FAMILIES. IT ISN'T THAT HE WELCOMES THE DIVISION THAT COMES BECAUSE OF HIM. HIS PLAN IS CLEAR; HE WANTS TO CREATE A FAMILY THAT SURPASSES ALL HUMAN FAMILIES. AND UNFORTUNATELY AS EACH OF US MOVES TO BECOME PART OF THAT FAMILY, WE MOVE AT DIFFERENT RATES, AND SOME CHOOSE NOT TO MOVE AT ALL.

BUT I HOPE YOUR FAMILY IS A BIT DIVIDED BY JESUS. I HOPE THERE IS SOMEONE IN YOUR FAMILY THAT MAKES THE REST OF THE FAMILY A LITTLE NERVOUS, MAYBE A LITTLE RESENTFUL – MAYBE A LITTLE JEALOUS – BECAUSE THAT SOMEONE IS OBVIOUSLY STRIVING TO DRAW CLOSER TO JESUS AND BECOME PART OF HIS FAMILY. AND IF THAT'S THE CASE, MAYBE ANOTHER MEMBER OF THE FAMILY WILL BEGIN TO LOOK AT HIS OR HER OWN LIFE, AND BE MOVED TO CHANGE, TO REPENT, TO START TAKING THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY SERIOUSLY. AND I PRAY THAT ONE BY ONE, EVERYONE IN THE FAMILY WILL SOONER OR LATER BE MOVED, NOT TO IMITATE THE ONE WHO IS FARTHEST ALONG ON THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY, BUT TO FIND THEIR OWN PATH, AND BEGIN THEIR OWN WALK. A LITTLE SPARK CAN GROW INTO A FIRE, AND JESUS CAME TO CAST FIRE UPON THE EARTH.

YOU CAN'T GET TO HEAVEN BY YOURSELF. YOU CAN ONLY GET TO HEAVEN BY BEING PART OF THE FAMILY WHICH JESUS STARTED. OUR HUMAN FAMILIES ARE JUST SHADOWS OF THE REAL FAMILY, AND OUR FAMILIES ARE MEANT TO BE GATEWAYS TO THAT FAMILY THAT WILL LAST FOREVER, WHERE THERE IS NO DIVISION, WHERE ALL OF US WILL BE UNITED IN OUR BROTHER JESUS AND HIS FATHER.

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle C

LUKE 12:32-48

WHEN I WAS IN COLLEGE, I WORKED FOR THE FOREST SERVICE IN THE SUMMER. I WAS A “FIRE PREVENTION TECHNICIAN” IN GOVERNMENTESE. AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SUMMER WE ATTENDED A ONE-WEEK COURSE IN FIRE PREVENTION AND PUTTING FIRES OUT – WITHOUT WATER, WHICH WAS TRICKY. THEN WE WERE STATIONED WITH A RANGER TO ASSIST IN COVERING A CERTAIN AREA OF THE NATIONAL FOREST. I WAS INVOLVED IN BIG FIRES AND SMALL ONES, BUT THE MOST COMMON WERE LITTLE FIRES STARTED BY A BOLT OF LIGHTNING – THEY WERE OFF THE BEATEN PATH AND DEEP IN THE WOODS. WE WOULD GET AS NEAR AS WE COULD WITH THE TRUCK, THEN SHOULDER OUR BACK PACKS AND THESE THINGS THAT LOOKED LIKE A CROSS BETWEEN A HOE AND AN AX – THEY CALLED THEM “PULASKI'S” – AND USING OUR COMPASSES AND MAPS, WE WOULD TRY TO LOCATE THE FIRE. ONCE WE FOUND IT, WE WOULD WORK FRANTICALLY, DIGGING A TRENCH AROUND THE FIRE, THROWING DIRT INTO THE FLAMES, AND CUTTING DOWN BRANCHES THAT MIGHT BE A WAY FOR THE FIRE TO GET PAST OUR CONTAINMENT BARRIER. EVENTUALLY THE FIRE WOULD BE REDUCED TO SOME SMOULDERING EMBERS, AND THOSE WOULD BE COVERED BY DIRT AS WELL. AND THEN, WE WOULD DRAW STRAWS – BECAUSE ONE OF US HAD TO STAY WITH THE FIRE FOR 24 HOURS. THOSE WERE THE RULES.

BEING ALONE IN THE WOODS IS NO PICNIC, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE AN ACTIVE IMAGINATION, AND EVERY SOUND YOU HEAR COULD BE A WOLF OR A BEAR. YOU WANT TO GET CLOSER TO THE SMOULDERING ASHES BECAUSE THEY ARE WARM; BUT YOU WANT TO SIT WITH YOUR BACK TO A TREE OR SOMETHING, BECAUSE YOU ARE AFRAID. AND THE NIGHT TAKES FOREVER TO PASS. YOU DON'T DARE TRY TO FIND YOUR WAY BACK TO THE ROAD, BECAUSE YOU WOULD BECOME HORRIBLY LOST. FINALLY THE NEXT MORNING DAWNS AND RIGHT ON TIME, YOUR GANG TURNS UP TO INSPECT THE FIRE SITE ONE LAST TIME AND YOU ALL GO BACK TO CIVILIZATION.

BEING A CHRISTIAN IS A LITTLE LIKE THAT. WE FEEL PRETTY ALONE WHEN WE THINK ABOUT IT. SURE, WE GO TO CHURCH AND WE SEE OTHER PEOPLE WHO ARE “CHRISTIANS” BUT WE KNOW SOME OF THEM ARE JUST THERE FOR THE SHOW. WE SEE SOME WHO WE SUSPECT AREN'T VERY CHRISTIAN IN REAL LIFE, AND OTHERS WHO PUT US TO SHAME WITH THEIR DEVOTION. SOME OF OUR CHRISTIAN BROTHERS AND SISTERS ARE DEVOTED TO THIS OR THAT, AND MAYBE I AM NOT. SO EVEN BEING IN CHURCH IT CAN BE A LITTLE LONELY. AND EVERY DAY YOU AND I HAVE TO GET UP IN THE MORNING AND MAKE A RESOLUTION: TODAY I WILL TRY TO LIVE MY LIFE AS A CHRISTIAN. BECAUSE IT'S SO EASY TO FORGET YOUR PRAYERS OR PUT OFF CONFESSION OR VEG OUT IN FRONT OF THE TV. AND IT'S SO EASY TO FORGET TO SHOW SIGNS OF LOVE TO THOSE AROUND US.

IN TODAY'S GOSPEL JESUS IS SPEAKING TO EACH OF US, HERE AND NOW. FIRST HE TELLS US WHAT IS IN STORE FOR US – THE FATHER WILL BE PLEASED TO GIVE US HIS KINGDOM, SO LAY UP TREASURES IN HEAVEN. THE FATHER WILL WAIT ON US, HAND AND FOOT, WHEN HE RETURNS; SO DO NOT FEAR. THEN HE TELLS US NOT TO GIVE UP. HE'S GIVEN US WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW IN ORDER TO LIVE IN THIS DESERT WAITING FOR THE FATHER. HE'S TOLD US TO PERSEVERE, AND NOT BE DISTRACTED; BECAUSE THE FATHER WILL COME FOR US, THAT IS CERTAIN; AND WE DON'T KNOW WHEN, THAT IS CERTAIN AS WELL.

SAINT FRANCIS WAS ONCE OUT WORKING IN THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. ONE OF HIS BROTHER FRIARS ASKED HIM, “WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU LEARNED THAT THE WORLD WAS GOING TO END IN FIFTEEN MINUTES?” FRANCIS CONTINUED TO HOE THE GARDEN, AND REPLIED, “I WOULD FINISH WHAT I AM DOING.” THE IDEA IS NOT TO WORRY ABOUT BEING PREPARED FOR THE COMING OF OUR MASTER. THE IDEA IS TO LIVE IN A WAY THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT IT.

HOW DO WE BUILD UP TREASURE IN HEAVEN? WE MIGHT LOOK AT THE BLESSED MOTHER. WE DON'T REALLY KNOW A THING ABOUT HER, EXCEPT THAT SHE CONSENTED TO BE THE MOTHER OF THE MESSIAH; SHE WAS THE WIFE OF A SKILLED CRAFTSMAN – A CARPENTER; AND SHE PREVAILED UPON HER SON TO HELP OUT AT A WEDDING PARTY. THERE ARE OTHER SCENES – SHE LOOKED FOR HIM WHEN HE WAS LOST; AND SHE AND HIS OTHER RELATIVES WORRIED ABOUT HIM BECAUSE HE HAD STEPPED OUT OF HIS QUIET LIFE IN NAZARETH AT THE AGE OF 30 AND WAS WANDERING UP AND DOWN PALESTINE PREACHING AND WORKING MIRACLES. MARY WAS PRETTY ORDINARY. SHE MADE CLOTHING, SHE PROBABLY WOVE CLOTH; SHE PREPARED FOOD, SHE SWEPT THE FLOORS. SHE DID WHATEVER SHE COULD TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE FAMILY INCOME; SHE PROBABLY TOOK CARE OF HER AGING MOTHER AND FATHER, AND JOSEPH, TOO, WHEN HE BECAME ILL AND FINALLY DIED. HER LIFE DIDN'T CHANGE MUCH AFTER THAT – YOU CAN BET THAT WHEN JOHN TOOK HER INTO HIS HOME, SHE DID NOT SIT IDLE, BUT CONTINUED TO DO WHAT SHE ALWAYS DID. SHE DID EVERYTHING WELL; SHE TURNED HER FULL ATTENTION TO THE TASK AT HAND; SHE PRAYED, SHE WORKED, SHE HELPED OTHERS, SHE LAUGHED AND CRIED, SLEPT AND WOKE UP. AT THE END OF THE DAY SHE DID NOT THINK ABOUT WHAT GREAT THINGS SHE MIGHT HAVE DONE. SHE DID NOT, AS FAR AS WE CAN TELL, PARTICIPATE IN SPREADING THE GOSPEL, AS DID THE APOSTLES AND SOME OF THE OTHER COMPANIONS OF JESUS, LIKE MARY MAGDALENE.

AND THAT, PERHAPS IS THE BEDROCK OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE – TO BE ABLE TO SAY AT ANY TIME, IF THE WORLD COMES TO AN END IN THE NEXT FIFTEEN MINUTES, I'M RIGHT WHERE I SHOULD BE, DOING WHAT I SHOULD BE DOING.

BUILDING UP TREASURE IN HEAVEN CONSISTS OF ALL THOSE ORDINARY THINGS MOST OF US DO MOST OF THE TIME – CONSCIOUS, OF COURSE, OF THE FACT THAT AS CHRISTIANS, JESUS IS WORKING IN US, AND TRANSFORMING THESE HUMBLE ACTS INTO THINGS OF INFINITE CONSEQUENCE.

THE HOLY EUCHARIST REMINDS US OF THIS EVERY SUNDAY. WE OFFER BREAD AND WINE, COMMON, ORDINARY THINGS THAT BY THEMSELVES DON'T AMOUNT TO MUCH AT ALL. BUT THROUGH OUR PRIEST GOD TAKES THESE GIFTS AND TRANSFORMS THEM INTO HIS ONLY SON, JESUS, WHO IS GOD AND MAN, AND FEEDS US WITH HIS BODY AND BLOOD. CHRISTIANS BY VIRTUE OF BEING CHRISTIANS, CAN TRANSFORM ANYTHING HUMAN BEINGS CAN DO INTO TREASURE IN HEAVEN – IT REQUIRES ONLY THAT WE ARE WHERE WE ARE, DOING WHAT WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING, EACH MOMENT OF OUR LIVES. AND THEN WE HAVE NO REASON TO FEAR, AND EVERY EXPECTATION OF RECEIVING THE KINGDOM THAT OUR FATHER IS PLEASED TO GIVE US.

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle C

LUKE 12:13-21

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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