26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C – Homily

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26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
Amos 6:1a, 4-7
Psalm 146:7, 8-9, 9-10 (1b)
1 Timothy 6:11-16
Luke 16:19-31
September 25, 2022

Jesus offers us a parable today contrasting two men.  The first is “a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day.”  He might be the one we would want to be like.

The second is “a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table.”  While he laid at the door of the rich man, he went without help.

Rich people tend to get the attention but here we don’t even know the rich man’s name.  It is the poor man whose name we know.  He may have been forgotten by the rich man and other people but God knows his name.  His name means, “my God helps.”

When the two men die, it is Lazarus who enters Heaven while the rich man is “in torment.”  The rich man will spend eternity in Hell, forever separated from Heaven by a great chasm.

Now, which one do you want to be like?

Lazarus laid at the rich man’s door.  The rich man did not seem to care about Lazarus.  He was not made ill by the condition of Lazarus’ health.  The rich man mirrors the “complacent in Zion” that Amos speaks of who stretch out comfortably on beds of ivory and eat fine lambs and calves.

How are you doing?  If you are well-off, do you care for the needs of the poor?  If you are poor like Lazarus, do you feel like anyone cares about you? 

Remember Jesus’ last words in Matthew’s gospel, “And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

If you have the means, do you offer help to others, even strangers, in need?  We will be sending out our annual report in October.  That report will talk about our ministries of helping others.  We have our Community Table to provide a hot meal to our neighbors.  We support the food pantry.  Do you help care for the sick?  Do you pray for others in our community?

Do you think about people beyond our own community? 

By now, you may have received a letter from our bishop beginning this year’s Catholic Ministries Appeal (CMA).  This appeal funds over half of the diocesan budget.

10% of the money raised goes to support Catholic Charities across the diocese in serving the needs of the poor.

7% supports the education and continuing development of our priests, deacons, and pastoral leaders.

35% is used to provide support to parishes with things like human resources, IT, and the marriage tribunal.

The theme of this year’s appeal is I am With You Always.  The ministries of our parish and our diocese are meant to help people know that Jesus is with them always, that God cares about them and that we care.

Our goals for both parishes have increased this year.  The goal for St. Mary’s is $38,000 and the goal for St. Benedict’s is $7,000. 

Last year each parish raised slightly more than our new goals.  Before you rush to say, “see the diocese just raises our goal whenever we pass it,” you should realize that St. Mary’s had actually raised more in the past and last year St. Mary’s goal went down.  This year it is back up but still not to what it has been.  St. Benedict’s has raised the same amount for the couple of couple of years.

To calculate the goals of each parish the diocese uses Mass attendance, regular collection totals, number of registered households, and median income provided by zip code from the U.S. Census bureau.

Since our goals for this new year are just under what we raised last year, it would be simple to say if everyone just gives the same amount, we will make our goals again.  While this is true, please realize two things.

First, everyone might not be able to give the same amount.  We ask that you give according to your means.

Secondly, remember that with one month to go in May, St. Mary’s was $3,000 short of its goal.  People responded by giving more than they usually do.  They can’t do that every year.  Again, we ask each family give according to their means.

You can give online at https://donate.dor.org/.  All registered parishioners and past CMA givers should receive a mailing with information on how to give.  We will be putting envelopes out next weekend.

One final word on giving.  I mentioned earlier that we will be sending out our annual report in October.  You will see that St. Mary’s faces a significant shortfall in the budget. 

As you prayerfully consider your giving for the next year to the church, please keep our parishes in mind.  If you are able to give more, ask God where to give it. 

Whatever you can give, your generosity will be greatly appreciated.

First Video Presentation in New Series – Being Church in Today’s World

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Last night I began my new series of presentations, Being Church in Today’s World. The video recording and slides are available at http://www.renewaloffaith.org/beingchurch2022part1 .

Here is a description of the series – “For centuries western civilization was rooted in Christianity. This is being lost today. Fewer people practice their faith and many do not believe that God exists. In a world where many think that you are free to believe whatever you want, how do you know what voice to listen to? Where do we go for real Truth? What does it mean to be “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church?” Inspired by comments from people following previous presentations, in this new series, Fr. Jeff seeks to answer these questions and more.”

If you watch the video in the next couple of days, you can complete an online evaluation at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfn7ySghBmCO_meePQFoBz_yTSLxdBA2BQ56XAQSK9TauWxMw/viewform?usp=sf_link .

You can register for Part II at https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_arf2eynBSZ-7a8zu-xGkfg .

Please feel free to share this information with anyone who might be interested.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

Predicting the …

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We like to know what the weather will be. Will it be warm and dry, not too hot and not too cold, so that we can enjoy some time outdoors? Predicting the weather is not that simple. It does not rain every time there is a cloud. We have to learn to tell the difference between the beautiful white puffy clouds and the dark grey clouds. Even then, it doesn’t rain every time we see a dark grey cloud.

How do meteorologists predict the weather? They use science. Meteorology is a physical science, meaning that we can take physical measurements and make physical observations in nature to predict the weather. For instance, there are certain conditions, namely moisture in the air, that are needed for it to rain. With this in mind, it seems like forecasting the weather should be an exact science. Yet, we all know the weather often doesn’t turn out exactly as forecasted.

From thinking about predicting the weather, I felt inspired to think about predicting the future. We desire at times to know what the future holds but we can’t. We aren’t even supposed to try to foretell the future. In Deuteronomy 18:10-12 we read, “Let there not be found among you anyone who causes their son or daughter to pass through the fire, or practices divination, or is a soothsayer, augur, or sorcerer, or who casts spells, consults ghosts and spirits, or seeks oracles from the dead. Anyone who does such things is an abomination to the Lord, and because of such abominations the Lord, your God, is dispossessing them before you.” We are to trust in the Lord. “Do not worry about tomorrow” (Matthew 6:34). We ask the Lord to help us prepare for what is to come but then we trust in him.

Still, we wonder where the world is going. One doesn’t have to look far to find bad news. What does the future hold for us?

As challenging as predicting the weather is, predicting what is going to happen in the world is even harder. Meteorology is a physical science that involves physical laws of nature that do not change (at least without God’s direct intervention). Predicting where the world is heading involves predicting what human beings are going to do and that is never easy. There are patterns of behavior but is not strict laws of behavior to guarantee what people will do. To understand human behavior we use the social sciences like sociology and psychology. Sociology studies how groups of people interact while psychology studies individual behavior.

The challenge is that while sociology and psychology can help us understand human behavior, humans do not always respond as expected. Each person is shaped by their own past and this effects how they interpret and respond to present day events.

Human beings can also choose to ignore parts of what is going on around them. For instance, Jesus points out how we might readily see the splinter in our brother’s eye while failing to see the wooden beam in our own eye (Luke 6:37-42). We might readily see the small sins of another while choosing to ignore our own major sins. We don’t even realize we are doing it.

In responding to situations, we sometimes fail to see how what we do affects other people. We would like a world without consequences but we need to realize what we do affects others. How I look at others affects how I treat them. If we see only the bad in a person, we fail to lift them up. When we think a person will never change, remember “nothing is impossible for God.”

One example of how things are interrelated can be seen in how we view life. Some people do not respect life in the womb or at the end of life. This results in bad choices for babies in the womb and people nearing the end of life. Unfortunately, the lack of respect for the dignity of life spreads out. How many shootings happen because the shooter does not respect life.

Another challenge in understanding human behavior is the different frames we look at the world with. An example of this is seen in attempts to discuss the morality of abortion. I don’t know if anyone is truly pro-abortion. What they are is pro-choice. It is all about “choice.” They do not seem open to the Catholic perspective that life begins at conception such that the baby in the womb is alive. We pray for the Lord to help us find a way to dialogue on such issues.

Another challenge to understanding human behavior using sociology and psychology is that the notion that people define their own existence. Here, I have been often using Justice Kennedy’s words, ““at the heart of liberty is the right to define one’s own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life” (Reilly, America on Trial, 6.  interior quote “Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pa. et al,. v. Casey, Governor of Pennsylvania, et a, 505 U.S. 833, 851  (1992)  https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/91-744.ZS.html.”).” Really? How does each person define the universe for themselves? We all live in the same universe. It can’t be different for each of us. I do not believe we can even define our our existence. For our lives to have meaning, they have to flow from something beyond ourselves (God). The Big Bang Theory might explain the science of our existence but it provides no meaning. If science is all there is and there is no god, then our lives are nothing more than a clump of cells coming together. Yet, I know we are so much more for we are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). It is not all about me (see my previous article, “If It’s All About Me”).

If we are to read the signs of the times, we need to do so with the light of faith. Faith is what brings hope to a discouraging world (see my recent article, “The Gift of Hope”). We need to do our part but to realize we are not the creator himself. We can choose to cooperate with God in creating new life. We can choose to cooperate with God in the way we use the natural resources of the world. We can choose to use the gifts God has given us to help make the world a better place. Yet, we are not creators in our own right. God is the creator. We need to acknowledge this, “Yet, Lord, you are our father; we are the clay and you our potter: we are all the work of your hand” (Isaiah 64:7).

In Jeremiah 29:11 we read, “For I know well the plans I have in mind for you—oracle of the Lord—plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope.“

Indeed, God has a “future of hope” for us. We ask the Lord for the grace to submit to his plan for us. The future can bring amazing things if we submit ourselves to God’s Will.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C – Homily

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25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
Amos 8:4-7
Psalm 113:1-2, 4-6, 7-8, (see 1a, 7b)
1 Timothy 2:1-8
Luke 16:1-13
September 18, 2022

The role of a steward is to manage the property and finances of the owner.  Thus, in squandering the rich’s man property, the steward has failed to do the very thing he was hired to do.

Thus, the rich man to his steward, “you can no longer be my steward.”  The rich man tells him to “prepare a full account” of his stewardship.  The rich man needs to know what his resources are.

Of course, the steward recognizes he has a problem.  He is “not strong enough to dig” (physical strength is not a gift he has).  He is “ashamed to beg.”  It seems even as he is being fired, pride remains in his heart.

What does the steward do?

“He called in his master’s debtors one by one.”  What did he do with them?  He reduced the debt they owed.  How?  Was he, in essence stealing from what was doing his master to reduce the debt?  Another possibility is that he is reducing their debt by the amount of commission that would have been his.

It would seem since the steward is commended for what he does that the latter is more likely.  He is using what would be his to show generosity to others so they will welcome him into their homes.  His motive still has some selfish concern but it is real concern. 

Jesus uses this parable to speak of our concern for small (worldly) matters and great (spiritual) ones.  In the end He says, “No servant can serve two masters.  He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and mammon.”

It is our choice. 

What do you choose to do with the gifts God has given you?  Do you use them for selfish things or to build up the kingdom of God?

Are you more concerned with spiritual matters or making a profit?

Through the prophet Amos, God speaks of those who “trample upon the needy and destroy the poor of the land.”  They are definitely selfish and don’t care who they hurt to make a profit.

They externally practice the faith but they can’t wait for the new moon and the sabbath to end so they can get back to making money. 

Do you make time for Jesus?  Or do you have something else you would rather be doing?  Are you hoping I am going to finish preaching soon so Mass will be over quickly?

Are you honest in your dealings with others?

In our first reading we heard, “We will diminish the ephah, add to the shekel.”  To put it simply, they measure out less and charge more. 

The economic principle of supply and demand says you can charge as much as people are willing to pay.  I don’t think that is right.  For instance, if you buy a candle for $2.50, you shouldn’t sell it for $5.00.  It seems like stealing to me (Seventh Commandment).  Charge a fair price that makes a profit but doesn’t gouge people. 

Changing topics a little, Paul writes, “I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone.”  Do you pray?  Do you pray for the people you like?  Do you pray for those you don’t like?  Do you pray for strangers? 

Do you pray for those in authority?  Pray that they do what God wants and they will have all they need to persevere.

Discipleship calls us to make good use of the gifts that God has given us for the good of others and the building up of his kingdom.

Discipleship calls us to be honest in our dealings with others.

Discipleship calls us to prayer for “This is good and pleasing to God.”

When the rich man learned that his steward was “squandering his property,” he told him to “prepare a full account” of his stewardship.

When your earthly life comes to an end, what will a full account of your stewardship look like? 

What Do You Have That You Don’t Need?

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How much stuff do you have? How much stuff do you have that you don’t need? Why?

Sometimes it is simply that we accumulate stuff over time and, if we aren’t forced to go through it, we forget about it or leave it for another day. It may be as simple as the clothes you accumulate over the years but will never wear again. Why not clean them out? If the clothes are in good shape, we can donate them to the needy, showing our love for our neighbor, and honoring the fourth Corporal Work of Mercy to clothe the naked (Matthew 25:36).

At other times, we accumulate more than we need because we are concerned for tomorrow. Now, there is value in being prepared but we must ask ourselves how much we need and not be concerned with our wants. It is about balance. At some point, we simply trust in the Lord, hearing Jesus’ words, “Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself” (Matthew 6:34).

At other times, we accumulate more than we need because we are greedy. Greed is one of The Seven Deadly Sins. We want more. If we can afford it, it might not seem like a bad thing. The caution is to be mindful of when our accumulation of things for ourselves begins to deprive others of what they need.

At still other times, we might accumulate more than we need because we think it makes it look good or more important. This would be pride, another one of The Seven Deadly Sins. We ask God for the grace to let go of our pride.

Am I promoting poverty for all?

In Acts 4:32-35, we read, “The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common. With great power the apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great favor was accorded them all. There was no needy person among them, for those who owned property or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds of the sale, and put them at the feet of the apostles, and they were distributed to each according to need.“

Today we generally interpret the poverty described in this passage as pointing to the vow of poverty taken by religious today. As we all called to live poverty in this way? The Catechism of the Catholic Church discusses the right of private property beginning in paragraph 2400. Pope Francis discusses private property in paragraphs 118-123 of his encyclical Fratelli Tutti. (For more on this, see my article reflecting on Pope Francis’ words and what the Church says about private property, “The Right to Private Property and Loving Our Neighbor.”)

We may not all be called to vows of poverty but if we are to be good stewards of what God has given us, we are all called to simplicity of life. It is not the things of this world that bring the eternal joy we are created for. If we give too much importance to material things or our pride, they begin to control us. As we will hear Jesus say in this Sunday’s gospel (25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C), “You cannot serve both God and mammon.”

The things of this world are things, neither good or evil. It is our attachment to them that becomes sinful. For example, some thing money is evil because of what people will do to have more money. Paul puts us on the right track when he says, “For the love of money is the root of all evils” (1 Timothy 6:10).

When we take what we have that we don’t need and give it to the poor, we have done something good. When we stop trying to accumulate more, we let go of the rat race and can give the time we formerly spent in the “rat race” to God.

May the Lord help us to see what we can let go of in our lives as we seek to give our lives to him, loving God and loving our neighbor.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

Our Loving God

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Many people tend to see the portrayal of God in the Old Testament as of a God is punishing, bestowing his wrath upon all who break his commandments.

Our first reading today from Exodus begins with a God who is anger and punishing. He had been speaking with Moses on the mountain. What do the rest of the Israelites do while Moses is on the mountain with God? They make a molten calf and they worship it, breaking the Commandment against idolatry.

When God gave them the Ten Commandments, they had responded, “We will do everything that the LORD has told us” (Exodus 24:3). They broke a Commandment and they broke their word. They turned away from the way the Lord had pointed out to them.

God knows this just as He knows when we sin. God tells Moses how the Israelites had become depraved. Speaking to Moses, God refers to the Israelites as Moses’ people whom Moses brought out of Egypt. This reminds me of how some parents will speak of their child as their own when they are good but when one parent is telling the other parent what a child has done wrong, sometimes they say “your” child.

God says, “Let me alone, then, that my wrath may blaze up against them to consume them.” They broke a Commandment and they broke their world. God would be within his rights to punish them. Does He?

No. Why? Because “Moses implored the Lord.” Moses intercedes for them, reminding God of his promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. No matter how many times we broke our word, God never breaks his word. “So the LORD relented in the punishment he had threatened to inflict on his people.“

God is merciful.

In the New Testament, we have clear images of God as merciful and loving. For “no one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). Looking at Jesus on the Cross, we see his absolute love.

In today’s gospel Jesus speaks of forgiveness and mercy. God wants to save every single one of sheep. In the Parable of the Lost Sheep, Jesus speaks of the shepherd who loses one sheep and will do anything to save that one sheep. Would you or would you stick with the remaining 99? He speaks of the shepherd rejoicing when the lost sheep is found. God rejoices every time a sinner repents.

In the Parable of the Prodigal Son, Jesus speaks of three people. We tend to center on the younger son in our reading of this parable. The younger son goes to his father and asks for his inheritance. This is more than just greed. In the culture of the time, to take one’s inheritance before his father dies would be to reject his father and completely separate himself from him. The father could have said no but he does not. He allows his younger son to leave with his inheritance.

The younger son “set off to a distant country.” He had plenty of money. He could have been set for a lifetime. Instead “he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation.” He “spent everything.” Then a famine came. Having failed to be wise with his inheritance, he “found himself in dire need.” He ends up working for a pig farmer, considered by the Jews to be an unclean job.

Hitting bottom, he comes to his senses. He realizes his father’s workers are better off than him. So, he makes plans to return home. He does not expect his father to forgive him and welcome him home. He does not expect to regain his status as a son. He’s just looking for a decent job.

His father has other plans. His father wants him back. As soon as his father “caught sight of him,” his father ran to him, “embraced him and kissed him.” His father orders the finest robe and ring to be put on him, signifying that he is once again his son. The father throws a great celebration.

God is our Father. Our inheritance from him is the Kingdom of Heaven, a priceless treasure. Yet, we do not always embrace the treasure. Instead we turn away in sin, choosing a “life of dissipation.” When we sin, we lose the inheritance God has given us and face eternity in Hell. God is all-loving and merciful. He does not want us to end up in Hell but He allows us to make the choice.

God knows we do not always choose wisely. He is prepared. He is ready to welcome us back but a price must be paid for our sins. Jesus takes the punishment for our sins upon himself so that we may be forgiven. Thank you Jesus!

We must not forget the older son. While the father rejoices when the younger son returns, the older son does not. In fact, “He became angry.” Anger is one of the Seven Deadly Sins. He was so angry that he would not enter the party. “His father came out and pleaded with him.” The father loves both his sons.

God loves all his children. As God forgives our trespasses, we must forgive those who trespass against us.

It is God who, in the greatness of his compassion, wipes out all our sins, washing us of our guilt. The question is do we let him?

What kind of question is that? Do we let him? Who doesn’t want to be cleansed of their sin? Someone who enjoys the pleasure of the sin. I hope no one enjoys sin for the sake of sinning but we can find earthly pleasure in our sin. That’s what makes it hard for us to stop sinning.

When we understand an action as sin, separating us from God and locking us out of Heaven, we want to be relieved of our sin. God wants to do this. In fact, God is eager to forgive us. Knowing God is eager to forgive us, we might come to take his forgiveness for granted.

We do not like it when someone takes us for granted. We should not take God’s forgiveness for granted.

Paul writes, “I am grateful to him who strengthened me.” Paul understands that he was a great sinner. He was a blasphemer, denying Jesus was the Messiah, and persecuting the first Christians. He was arrogant, thinking he knew what the Messiah would be like and thought Jesus was not the one. For these sins, Paul sees himself as the foremost of sinners. Thus, he is grateful for the mercy God bestowed on him. In gratitude for God’s mercy to him, Paul shares Jesus with others.

God loves you and forgives you. Be grateful for his love. Share the good news of God’s love and forgiveness with those who will listen.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

Is Work a Bad Thing?

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Some people see work only as something they have to do to make money so they can do what they really want. In this thinking, work might be described as a “necessary evil.”

Our Catholic faith gives us a different view of work. At the end of the first story of creation (Genesis 1:1-2:3), we read “Thus the heavens and the earth and all their array were completed. On the seventh day God completed the work he had been doing; he rested on the seventh day from all the work he had undertaken. God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work he had done in creation” (Genesis 2:1-3).

“Work” is mentioned three times in these three verses. Who is the one who does the work described? God! If God does work, it cannot be a bad thing. All that God does is good. What is the work God has done? He has created all that there is.

In Genesis 1:26-28, we read that the last thing that God creates is human beings. He creates human beings in his image and gives us dominion over all things. People sometimes take this “dominion” to mean that we can do whatever we want. We do have free will but we make the best use of what God has given us when we use it as He intends.

God has given each of us different gifts to use for the building up of the body of Christ (see 1 Corinthians 12). God calls us to work together.

In the second story of creation in Genesis 2:4-25, we begin to learn what God has created us for. God gives us a purpose. In Genesis 2:5 we read, “there was no field shrub on earth and no grass of the field had sprouted, for the Lord God had sent no rain upon the earth and there was no man to till the ground.” There was something lacking, There was no one “to till the ground.” We begin to see the purpose that God has given us. Genesis 2:15 makes this explicit, “The Lord God then took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it.”

Does this mean that every person is called to be a farmer? That would go against the idea that God gives us different gifts to us in different ways as described in 1 Corinthians 12. What it does is invite us to reflect on how God calls us as individuals to use the gifts that He has given us. How are we called to cultivate what God has given us?

This is about work as a calling from God, not as something we do for a paycheck. What purpose has God given you? Maybe you are working in a paid job. Maybe you are retired and no longer work for money. Or maybe you volunteer outside the work you do to earn a paycheck. Maybe your work is to care for your children. In whichever category you fall, are you using your gifts as God intends, for the building up of his kingdom rather than your own little kingdom?

Many people spend a long time looking for fulfillment. There is only one thing that will truly fulfill us. It is to live as God calls us as we rejoice in his love.

As we celebrate our national holiday of Labor Day, it is appropriate that we think about the rights of all workers. Every worker is a human being created in God’s image and deserves to be treated as such.

Every worker has a right to a just wage for the work they do that provides them what they need to care for their family, a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work. Every worker has a right to safe working conditions. No one should be asked to work an unreasonable number of hours. There must be no discrimination for Paul writes, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).

If you are the company owner, do you ensure these rights for your employees?

If you are a supervisor, do you strive to ensure the workers under you are treated fairly?

If you are a worker, do you do a fair day’s work for a fair day’s pay? Paul writes in 2 Thessalonians 3:10, “In fact, when we were with you, we instructed you that if anyone was unwilling to work, neither should that one eat.? The seventh commandment is “You shall not steal.” A worker steals if they do not a fair day’s work for their pay just as an employer who does not pay the wage the worker deserves is stealing from them.

What if you are the consumer? How do you treat the worker? For example, if you are at a restaurant, how do you treat the waiter/waitress? Do you treat them as someone at your beck and call or do you treat them as a person?

No matter what your position in life is, worker, supervisor, employer/owner, or consumer, you must never treat any worker as a commodity. Every worker must be treated as a person, a child of God. Yes, they have a job to do but they are children of God just as you are. “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you” (Matthew 7:12).

As we celebrate Labor Day, let us give thanks to God for the gifts He has given us and ask for the guidance of the Holy Spirit that we use them in accord with his will. In doing so, we help make the world a better place.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

The Cost of Discipleship

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“Great crowds were traveling with Jesus.” Maybe they had seen him cure people. Maybe they saw him drive out demons. Maybe they had heard him preach and wanted to hear more.

What does it mean to truly follow Jesus? How hard is to follow Jesus? We would like it to be easy but is it?

Today Jesus tells them (and He tells us) what is required to be a disciple. What’s it going to take?

Jesus begins by saying we cannot be his disciple without “hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life.” Why does Jesus speak of hating others? He had previously taught that the greatest commandment is to love God and the second is to love our neighbor. Does Jesus change his mind and tell us to hate?

This is a challenge for us because we see “hate” and “love” as opposites. We can’t both hate and love the same person, can we?

What Jesus is really telling us is that if we want to be his disciple, we must put him first in our lives. Yes, we are to love our neighbors but not more than God. We must even put God before our own life, hence Jesus saying we must hate even our own life. We need to turn everything over to God.

It is not easy. It can be our cross to bear. That leads us to the next condition for discipleship that Jesus offers in today’s gospel. We must be willing to carry the cross that we are given. We want life to be easy but there is suffering we must bear. We ask for the grace that we may carry our crosses as Christian witnesses and offer our sufferings for the salvation of all.

It is not easy to be Jesus’ disciple. This is why Jesus speaks of calculating the cost. Before we start a project it is important for us to determine what it will cost. If we wish to start building a house, we need to know what will be required to finish it Only then can we make a good decision to proceed.

We need to understand what is required for us to be Christian disciples. It is going to take effort. Are we willing to put forth the effort?

Of course, we need to realize that we are not God and that means we don’t know all that will happen. As we read in today’s reading from the Book of Wisdom, “Who can know God’s counsel, or who can conceive what the LORD intends.” Sometimes it seems difficult to discern what “is within our grasp,” let alone the things of Heaven.

We need to calculate the cost but part of that is realizing we don’t have all the answers. We aren’t supposed to. The things of this world can “burden the soul” and weigh “down the mind.” What we are we to do?

Trust. Knowing how much God loves us, we place our trust in him. We might feel insignificant, nothing more than the dust from which God created us. Why would God choose to love us? Because He wants to.

Indeed, we face various earthly challenges in this world. Yet, the things of this world are only temporary, springing up anew, only to wither and fade.

Today’s gospel ends with Jesus saying “anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be his disciple.” One may see a call to material poverty in this saying. What Jesus wants us to do is let go of our attachments to our possessions. If our material possessions dictate our actions, they have become a hinderance to knowing and loving God. We need to renounce our attachment to things so we can put God first in our lives.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

The Gift of Hope

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In the past I have written about the importance of following the news to know what is going on in the world. I have also written about how the news can be discouraging (see the articles under the category “In the News” on my blog).. At times, I look to the news for inspiration for ideas to write about here. Today I admit I am discouraged by what is in the news.

We need hope. According to a search on www.bibleway.com, the New American Bible Revised Edition translation of the Bible, the word “hope” appears 208 times in the Bible. Hope is foundational to our faith. It is one of the three theological virtues (along with faith and charity (AKA love)).

The online Catholic Culture Dictionary defines hope as “The confident desire of obtaining a future good that is difficult to attain” (https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/dictionary/index.cfm?id=33993, accessed 8/30/22). While what we seek may be difficult to attain, we have hope because it is a gift we have from God. The Catholic Culture Dictionary describes the theological virtue of hope as “An infused theological virtue, received at baptism” (https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/dictionary/index.cfm?id=33995, accessed 8/30/22).

We have hope because of the love that Jesus shows for us as He freely gives his life on the Cross. The Bible is full of the stories of how God has rescued his people. These stories help us to know the hope that God gives us.

We live in a world that is turning away from God’s Truth. As we read in 2 Corinthians 4:3, “For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine but, following their own desires and insatiable curiosity.” What are we to do? We hold onto what God has taught us. We lament but we do not despair. The Catholic Church Dictionary definition of “despair” begins “The sin by which a person gives up all hope of salvation or of the means necessary to reach heaven” (https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/dictionary/index.cfm?id=33048, accessed 8/30/22). We can be assured of hope for salvation because Jesus’ died for our sins.

The number of people who practice the Christian faith is shrinking but Christianity will not disappear for “nothing is impossible for God.” The fact that people fall away from faith is nothing new. It happens over and over in the events of the Old Testament. The word “remnant” is used 77 times (according to a search on www.bibleway.com) in the New American Bible Revised Edition translation. It is used to describe those who held fast to their faith.

God does amazing things through this remnant. Do we choose to be part of the remnant that keeps the faith today? It is not easy. People will speak against us. Do not be afraid. God will help us. I find it difficult to know what to do to strengthen the remnant and to know how to reach out to those who do not practice their faith or those who have no faith. I do not have a plan of my own. I don’t have to. God has a plan. As God spoke in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know well the plans I have in mind for you—oracle of the Lord—plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope.”

Again, the struggle of faith we face today is not new. The Book of Job in the Old Testament tells of the difficulty that Job faced. Job was a rich man in material things, family, and faith. He lost his material wealth and his family to the devil. He even struggled in faith but he did not lose faith. He asked the question we all ask when we struggle, “Why?” He seeks understanding but he comes to realize that he is not going to understand everything. What he can do is trust in God.

We pray that God reveals to us what we are to do to fulfill his plan and that He gives us all that we need to fulfill it.

God is our hope and our salvation.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C – Homily

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22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
Sirach 3:17-18, 20, 28-29
Psalm 68:4-5, 6-7, 10-11 (see 11b)
Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24a
Luke 14:1, 7-14
August 28, 2022

“Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees.”  We are told that some of the people were “observing him carefully.”  Hopefully, some of them were observing him to learn from him but we know from other verses, many observed him hoping to trap him in a way to prove He was not the Messiah.

Jesus observes their behavior too.  He noticed “how they were choosing places of honor.”  They had pride in their hearts.  The leaders did have a particular role to play but it was not for their own honor.  It was for the glory of God and the good of his people.

Jesus wants to help them so he offers them a parable.  He does so here in terms they can relate to.  He knows the pride they have and He cautions them against it. 

He does so by pointing out that if they rush to take the places of honor, “a more distinguished guest” may come.  Then, they will be asked to change their seat.  Then, it would be obvious to everyone that they had made themselves out to look more important than they were.  They would be embarrassed.

Jesus tells them to “take the lowest place.”  Then, they need not fear being embarrassed.  In fact, they might even be asked to move to a “higher position,” something that might appeal to their pride. 

How important do we make ourselves out to be?  Do we seek to exalt ourselves?  This would be pride, one of the seven deadly sins.  We are called to the virtue of humility. 

Humility does not mean that we can’t acknowledge the good we do.  We can do good through the gifts that God has given us.  In fact, God wants us to do good.  Yet, it is not to look good that we do it.  We do it because it is good and we give the glory to God.

For example, it may be tempting to invite important people to our house to make ourselves look good.  Jesus offers a better way.  He tells us to “invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind.”  Why invite them?  Because they need our help.  It is not for our glory but to do what is right.  God will see what is in our hearts as we do this.

Remember Jesus’ words, “For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Sirach calls us to “conduct our affairs with humility” and says we actually become better in the way that matters to God when we humble ourselves. 

In humility we are called to treat others with dignity as equal.  We are to treat them with gentleness and courtesy. 

If we are prideful, we might try to do things that are beyond us.  Sirach cautions us to not search for things beyond our strength.  In humility, we accept what we cannot and do not need to do everything ourselves. 

In humility we recognize that we do not know everything.  Therefore, as Sirach says we should “appreciate proverbs” and listen with “an attentive ear” to learn more on how God calls us to live.

God gives us an example of humility.  He is God yet He humbles himself to care for those in need.  He is the “father of orphans” and “defender of widows.”  “God gives a home to the forsaken.”

We are called to do good things.  We don’t do it on our own.  We count on God to give us our daily bread.  We count on strength and wisdom from God.

Where do we go for this?

God can give us grace in many ways.  It starts in coming to Mass.  At Mass we receive wisdom in hearing God’s Word from the Bible.  We celebrate the Eucharist, the bread of life.

It seems some people come to Mass only once in a while when it is convenient or they need a pick me up.  I encourage you to come every week to receive what God offers us.  Put God first.  There is nothing more important for us than what God offers us at Mass.  Humble yourself before God and God will bless you with what you need.