October 4: St. Francis of Assisi

26th Sunday: "To afflict the comfortable . . . "

(Kelli McClintock - Unsplash.com)

"And lying at his door was a poor man . . . "

Luke 16: 19-31

The Word: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/092825.cfm

O God, who manifest your

almighty power above all by pardoning

and showing mercy,

bestow your grace abundantly upon us

and make those hastening to attain your promises

heirs to the treasures of heaven.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God, for ever and ever. 

(Collect of Mass)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I recall a while back in the summer before my ordination that was to take place that August, the Pastor happened to not be at the Parish I was staying in on a warm, rather quiet afternoon. I heard the familiar doorbell so I answered the door and there stood a middle-aged woman looking as if she obviously needed some help.  She asked if she could have a ride over to the next town about an hour away over the mountains.  Well, I thought proudly this would be a good thing for a Deacon to do so I offered to take her there; just the two of us alone in the car!  It was a sunny summer day, no problem with travel on the interstate so I thought, why not? Well, I was naive, not at all prudent but at least well intentioned.

Along the way everything was fine, nothing happened and we had a chat, so I dropped her off and came back to the parish.  As I returned, I was feeling pretty proud of myself; sort of boasting in my mind about the good impression she must now have of the Church and its ministers.

When I returned to the parish the Pastor was there, and he had discovered I was gone so he asked where I was. Mind you, this was in the day before cell phones. I told him what I had done, and he quickly stated to me, like a father to a son, that I was not very smart about what I did.  He warned me about the potential danger then simply said: “Don’t you ever do that again.” Considering the events of the last several years, and the fear of scandal, I would never take that chance again - unfortunately. After a quick reflection I could not disagree with the pastor and quickly “wised up” and never did such a thing again or since; nonetheless there is a lesson here. Not about giving rides to strangers but more about the dangers of indifference and the divine command for compassion and mercy.

Our readings today make us stop and think not only about the poor beggar Lazarus outside the door but even more so about ourselves in the nameless rich man. Who is sitting outside our door?  That is meant to be but an expression about our awareness of those around us. As the saying goes, this parable is meant “to afflict the comfortable and to comfort the afflicted.”

So Jesus tells the story of a rich man “dressed in purple garments and fine linen who dined sumptuously each day.” And daily outside his door was a poor starving beggar whose name was Lazarus.  The fact that the rich man is not named but the poor man is identified, reminds us of the dignity of the poor. You can imagine the rich man either arrogantly walked by or stepped over the poor. One important point to make is that the rich man did see Lazarus.  He knew he was there, and he knew he was in a desperate situation but did nothing to alleviate his suffering.  He has no name in the story so does he represent all of humanity itself?

Our first reading from the prophet Amos (6: 1A, 4-7) takes a similar tone.  “Woe to the complacent in Zion . . . stretched comfortably on their couches . . . they drink wine from bowls . . . they are not made ill by the collapse of Joseph!” This is quite a description of lavish surroundings with the intoxicated lying back on soft cushions, eating grapes and chocolate truffles. They are so caught up in their luxurious lifestyle they are blind and unmoved by the suffering of the unfortunate around them.  What they really do care about is trivial and meaningless.

Then, “the poor man died” and “the rich man also died and was buried.” Death changed everything. The roles are reversed, and the suffering Lazarus now sits in heavenly luxury in the “bosom of Abraham” (paradise) a sign of privileged position at a banquet table. Tables turned, the wealthy man now begs for relief in a place of torment, (hell) “separated by a vast chasm between himself, Abraham, and the now “wealthy” and comfortable Lazarus.

While the story indicates the rich man very much knew Lazarus since he calls him by name as he now sees him after death.  All the while, he knew of Lazarus’ suffering but remained indifferent to his fate.  He could have easily helped him but refused to do so.  His own comfort and reputation were far more important than to be bothered or inconvenienced by another of the wretched poor.  Like the heartless Ebenezer Scrooge he may have even wished the poor would “Die and reduce the surplus population!”

The overall theme of our readings this Sunday is both about warning and about mercy.  Now, we may somewhat be in shock over the stark lesson portrayed here which may exactly be Jesus’ intention.  Maybe we gasp trying to imagine such blatant complacency towards human suffering. We might see the Pharisees either disgust or embarrassment on their faces as they squirmed in their privileged position.  Sometimes, the truth makes us uncomfortable yet that becomes the agent of change.

While there are many among us, me included, who have given some cash to those begging along the freeway ramps or city intersections, I think Jesus’ lesson is more significant.  Both the rich man and Lazarus are symbols of deeper social inequality and indifference.  The solution to poverty and human suffering in the world is truly complex.  Yet, our overall attitude is perhaps where we begin.

In fact, we may even wonder if my small part really makes a significant difference.    Can we change the world and eliminate poverty and hunger? - Probably not. But we can certainly live a more compassionate and generous life. It may not change the world or eliminate poverty, but it does change the world for Lazarus.

 The rich man wanted to send Lazarus as a warning to his brothers who were apparently living the life of leisure as well. Abraham’s comment that both Moses and the prophets have warned the ancients of their indifference to the suffering poor and that even someone from the dead (the risen Christ) would not change their hearts is disturbing. 

We too have been given the call to mercy from Jesus.  We’ve been reminded about the abundant love that moved the Father to send his Son to us.  We well know that we have many opportunities to assist and do our part in sharing a portion of our comfort with the uncomfortable.

So in these readings, as they always do when Jesus speaks of great inequality and injustice between humanity, we are invited to see things as God does.  The rich man was not punished because he was rich.  It was his greed and indifference to the suffering that caused the eternal chasm between him and Lazarus. There is a special place for the poor and helpless in the heart of God and so there must be among us as well. The late Pope Francis reminded us that no one escapes the responsibility to make a place for the poor at our tables.

Compassion, mercy, selflessness, humility, generosity, and charity that promote human dignity are not some kind of new age social justice virtues. They are deeply rooted values we see enfleshed in the earthly life of Jesus and they become our way to ultimate salvation. Feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, visit the imprisoned, etc.  This is what the rich man could have done but simply choose a  more selfish self-centred way of life.

“My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime . . ." 

 

 

25th Sunday: Serve two Masters?

"You cannot serve both God and mammon"

Luke 16: 1-13

The Word: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/092125.cfm

-----------------------------

O God, who founded all the commands of your sacred law

upon love of you and of our neighbor, 

grant that by keeping your precepts,

we may merit to attain eternal life.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, 

who lives and reigns with you in the unity

of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

(Collect for Sunday)

From the time of ancient civilizations to our day, there has always been some method of barter and trade; some form of trade for goods offered. Today, we buy things with money.  We wouldn’t normally think that Jesus had much to say about financial matters but in truth he had much to say about the use of money, both its benefits and its dangers.  In keeping with Jewish rabbinic teaching, he often taught through stories (parables) in order to make his point.  Normally those examples reflected situations of everyday life in his time; events and experiences that people were very familiar with already such as agricultural methods of planting and harvesting.  Today’s Gospel is one of the most perplexing and difficult scriptural passages to understand but it does reflect familiar customs.

The story involves an astute and crafty estate manager, yet immoral for he is stealing from his Master, who was skilled in the art of crooked business deals.  He found a way, when he was dismissed for “squandering” the property of a rich owner, mismanaging his master’s money, both to provide for his own future and to bring praise upon the rich owner of the property who fired him for being dishonest. Although his intent was less than admirable, he was clever in creating a kind of “win-win” result.

The untrustworthy steward created a sense of admiration for the master who fired him – he went to his masters’ debtors and advised they reduce their indebtedness to him. If a recommendation came from the master himself, not knowing the steward was about to be fired, they then would praise the master for his mercy to them and be willing to take in the crafty steward for being the bearer of good news to them. That may be clever, but he essentially was once again steeling from his master in reducing the indebtedness.

Now what Jesus then says about this manager is shocking in one way: “I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth, so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” Jesus’ recommendation is not all that clear here. Does he advise we use the same type of tactics as the steward in the parable?  Is he in praise of dishonest methods to gain success? Maybe a look at the first reading for this Sunday would put more in full perspective.

The prophet Amos in our first reading clearly warns his audience about the greedy: “Hear this you who trample upon the needy and destroy the poor of the land!” Amos warned those who use power and wealth to their own advantage while they sacrifice the more basic needs of the poor who need assistance to attain their own security.  “The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob; never will I forget a thing they have done!” This is a warning to those who are governed by their own pride and personal security at the expense of the more fundamental needs of others.

Considering that, we may see the Gospel parable as both one of praise for its clever methods but a warning as to how and where we spend our resources. Our Lord essentially is in praise of cleverness and knows that if one is as enterprising with the good use of money, much good can be done and one will win the praise not only of others but more importantly, the praise of God, the true owner of eternal wealth.

The road to discipleship is not an easy one yet is for those who pay attention to the words of Jesus and put those teachings, methods, to practical use: prayer, self-sacrifice, attention to the needs of others, to be charitable for the cause of others, not my own advantage, to live a life formed by the Gospel values and not those limitations of this world.

More, the relationship between the poor and the rich; the “haves and the have-nots” and the social conditions of our time in which so many are suffering from the greed of others is timely with this parable. The greatest sin Jesus railed against was that of greed and injustice.  To be blind to both the material and the spiritual needs of the disadvantaged is a grave injustice and sin.

Wealth in and of itself is morally neutral.  Yet, how we use that abundance either for ourselves or to adopt a more open and enterprising mind and consider the greater needs around us, then to devise ways to assist those who need our help, is I think what Jesus is getting at here.

God looks upon the poor with special favor.  As the late Pope Francis reminded us, he came to us in the guise of the poor as a poor man and spent much of his time with the outcast and the forgotten.

The Gospel closes with a prophetic warning: “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.”  (Lk 16: 12-13).

If power, wealth, and the pursuit of success is measured by the “master” of this world that which the world offers becomes our god.  Or if we see the material resources we have as an opportunity to assist the needy or to spread the Gospel more completely in some way, then our “master” becomes God himself and his glory, his praise.  In the end, we must be as enterprising, as clever and intent about our ultimate fulfilment before God as the dishonest steward was about his own reputation and his security. It may feel like a strange comparison, but it does make the point.

So, we must decide who our “master” is.  To whom do we owe our stewardship?  We are stewards of the treasure God has given us: our life, our resources, our opportunities, our faith. God is the Master of the parables, and we are the ones entrusted with his wealth as gift to us. 

Yet the bottom line may be to consider not only my material life but my spiritual life as well.  Simply coming to Church on a weekend is a good and necessary witness.  Yet, if that’s all I do I may find I live more for myself than I do for the spread of the Gospel.  Jesus in short recommends today that we prepare for the future, as the steward did, but to build up not a treasure for greed but spiritual wealth for our eternal benefit. How are we managing?

 

9/14: Our sign of hope and victory over sin and death

  The Word:

John 3: 13-17  

 https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/091425.cfm

    Why would we celebrate a feast of the cross in the early fall season of the year?  September 14th, then, may feel more like a mini Good Friday when the cross is so prominent a part of our Holy Week services.  There are distinct historical events that go back to the 4th century of Christianity when this Feast was established on Sept. 14th.

    The Emperor Constantine proclaimed Christianity as the official religon of the Roman Empire. With that pronouncement, Christians everywhere could come out of hiding and their hidden faith expressed in the catacombs outside Rome, could now boldly be proclaimed without fear of persecution.  It must have been a glorious time!

    New Christian Churches were established, old pagan worship sights were destroyed and the materials carried off the construct new public sights of worship. It is a well known fact the main bronze doors of St. Peter Basilica in Rome were taken from the Pantheon building which was a place of pagan worship for a gouping of a number of gods in Rome. Those doors are enormous and have been preserved to the present day as St. Peter's was constructed in the 16th century. Before that, the old St. Peter's had stood over his grave sight for nearly a thousand years.  

    So, this feast was established to remember when St. Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine, discoverd the true cross of Jesus in Jerusalem through a miraculous healing.  The Church of the Holy Sepulcher over the spot where the cross was found at the foot of Mt. Calvary, still stands today to honor that finding.  

    Let us celebrate this beautiful feast which reminds us why the image of the cross is central to the Christian faith.  Fortunately, it falls on a Sunday this year making it possible for more of the congregation to celebrate this victory over sin and death through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  

    How surprised were you to find your local priest vested  in red this Sunday instead of the usual green in this ordinary liturgical season? 

May we give thanks for our salvation through the Triumph of the Cross this Sunday.

+ + +

-----------------------------------

O God, who willed that your Ony Begotten Son

should undergo the Cross to save the human race, grant

that we, who have known his mystery on earth,

may merit the grace of his redemption in heaven.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, 

who lives and reigns with you in the unity

of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.