9/20/2020 0 Comments 25th Sunday of Ordinary TimeIn our first reading today from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah we hear Isaiah encourage the people of Israel to seek the Lord. The seeking involves acknowledging sinfulness and then changing their ways. Isaiah reminds the people of Israel that the way God thinks, and the way God acts is different from the way they think and act.
In the Gospel, Jesus tells a parable about the owner of a vineyard who goes looking for people/workers in the marketplace at various moments during the day and he hires them to work in the vineyard. When the end of the day comes, he pays those who have worked only a few hours the same as those who have worked all day. The reaction of those who have worked all day suggests anger, resentment and perhaps bitterness. The owner asks them if they have been treated unjustly. They have not. The owner suggests that since it is his money, he has the right to be generous does he not? Jesus concludes the parable by suggesting that in the Kingdom of God human logic is dismissed in favor of God’s logic. Those who are first shall be last and vice versa! In our second reading from Paul’s letter to the Christians at Philippi, we hear Paul talk about how Christ is revealed. Paul says that in his living and his dying Christ is revealed. Paul speaks of being pulled in two directions. While Paul would love to be with Christ, he recognizes the importance of remaining and helping the Christians at Philippi live their lives in a way that is worthy of Christ. He reminds them that this is their obligation – to live in a way that reflects the truth of the Gospel. So what is the connection between these readings and our personal life experience? Have you ever said, “that is so not fair!” or “I wish I had an easy job like that!” or “I resent the fact that they get away with that and I am expected to be the faithful one.” Or “I work way harder than they do and I get paid less!” or “For the work they do, they get paid way too much!” While some of us suggest that we never sin – the fact is most of us do sin. Despite our protests we make good use of the sin of envy! We want what others have. We think we deserve more than what we get! Today our gospel reminds us that in the Kingdom of God the way Jesus thinks and the way Jesus acts are different from the way we think and act. The people we would normally put first, God puts last. The people we would normally put last God puts first. Our work as Christians is to live in a way that Christ is revealed/recognized in what we say and do. Our work as Christians is to seek the Lord, to sin less and to be more like God. We are called to recognize our sin and slowly work at changing the way we behave so that sin becomes less of a driving force in our words and in our actions. There are a couple of things in the Gospel that we would do well to imitate, that we would do well to practice in our daily life. In the parable, the vineyard owner is like God. What does he do?
During this pandemic I have read stories of Catholics being upset because their access to the Church building has changed, they cannot pray as they once did. While coming to the Church building is important and praying in the Church building is important, the purpose of gathering in the Church building is to help us to be better disciples of Jesus. It is easy to be a disciple of Jesus here. We are to be disciples of Jesus in our daily life – in our homes and in our workplaces. We ought to be doing what Jesus does – what God expects of us. What God expects of us is made clear in Chapter 25 of Matthew’s gospel. Feed the hungry, give water to those who are thirsty, welcome the stranger, care for the sick, clothe the naked, and visit those who are imprisoned. We are reminded of that again today. We ought to be looking for God in those who are most in need. We ought to be doing what God asks of us. We ought to remember our destiny – God is going to reward us and our reward is union, communion with him in heaven. Our destiny is the Kingdom of God. We are not to worry about how much work others do. We are to be faithful to the work we have been given – to the work we have said yes to. Our God is generous and our God will be generous with us! In turn, we take that generosity and extend it to others. Today we are being fed – with God’s word and with the Body of Christ. We are being supported by the prayer of our brothers and sisters present here…Let us take the life given to us by God’s Word, let us take the life that is given to us by the Body of Christ, let us take the life that is given to us by the support and prayer of our brothers and sisters and let us reach out to others. Let us comfort them, encourage them, feed them, and make sure they feel welcome. Let us strip from our lives envy, pride, jealousy, hatred and slander. These things destroy us! When we do them we destroy others too! Perhaps when we gather next weekend for our Sunday celebration others will want to join us because they have experienced firsthand that Christ is Lord in our life. They will experience that we do what God does and maybe, just maybe they will want to become like us because they see in us the goodness and the love of God.
0 Comments
This Sunday we have this insightful reading from the Book of Sirach. He reminds the people of Israel that holding grudges destroys relationships – destroys the person who holds them. He goes a step further and suggests that when they hold grudges they end up on the wrong side of God. He calls us to mercy and suggests that when we extend mercy to others we receive mercy ourselves.
In the Gospel, Peter seems to want to put a limit on forgiveness. He suggests that forgiving someone seven times is enough. Jesus pushes him and suggests 77 times is more like it…in other words forgiveness is a forever attitude and action, then Jesus tells the story that highlights the relationship between forgiveness and behavior. His story points out the reality that often times our sin and our need for forgiveness is far greater than the sin we are upset about. He suggests that the forgiveness we have received should prompt us to be generous with the faults of those around us. In the second reading, Paul points out with great clarity that we belong to Christ. Whether we are alive or dead, we belong to Christ because he has lived and he has died for us. His life, death and resurrection were aimed at setting us free, at giving us life, at drawing us into the love of the Trinity. There is a clear theme of forgiveness in our scriptures today and it is good for us to think about forgiveness. Whenever I talk about forgiveness I am pulled in two directions. How do I talk about the teaching of Jesus and how do I keep people safe? Here is my dilemma: a family comes and tells me that one member of the family is abusing other members of the family. The family has sought help for their abusive family member and nothing changes. On the one hand we have the teaching of forgiveness and on the other hand we have a very clear and present danger – the danger of further abuse. How do we put forgiveness into practice? You might say well that is a bit dramatic Father – the answer is clear – the family has to protect themselves from the dangerous member and so they have to move away. GOOD! What about the husband/wife/friend who over and over again takes the other person for granted? Who repeatedly betrays, lies, reneges on commitments? How does one forgive repeated betrayal? How does one forgive years of emotional or verbal abuse? How does one forgive repeated acts of disrespect? On the one hand the scriptures encourage us to nurture forgiveness and on the other we live in a world where we hurt others and are hurt by others. How do we practice forgiveness? Each of us must learn to practice forgiveness. We also must teach – through words and action, what forgiveness looks like. Forgiveness is not about denying dangerous behavior. Forgiveness is not about downplaying the damage done. Forgiveness is not about forgetting. Forgiveness is not about putting one’s self in a dangerous position over and over again. Forgiveness is about choosing not to hold on to anger and wrath. Forgiveness is about letting go – not nurturing the wound, not plotting revenge, not retaliating whenever possible. Practically speaking, I can choose to forgive someone what they have done and yet walk away from them so that the other can no longer hurt me. Practically speaking I can remove myself from a dangerous situation and still value and practice mercy and compassion. Today the readings urge us to look at the practice of forgiveness in our lives. God never tires of forgiving us. We should work hard at practicing forgiveness in our relationships. Jesus reminds us that there should be no limit to our forgiveness. In the parable it is clear that people are more important than money. Mercy and compassion are highly valued. There have been a number of funerals this summer. People have died at various stages of life…some were just beginning their lives, some had accomplished a few things and some had lived a long time. Research shows that one of the attitudes that helps people die well is forgiveness. Forgiveness of self for things done and for things undone. Forgiveness of others. Forgiveness of God. That might strike us as strange but sometimes we hold God accountable for what we think God has or has not given us. We hold God accountable for our bodies and minds and emotions – for our health or lack thereof, for relationships tried and failed, for our work, our abilities – the things we are good at and the things we are not good at. Forgiveness helps us to live well and it helps us to die well. How do I practice forgiveness? Is it something I expect of others but am reluctant to offer? Do I expect God to forgive me and refuse to forgive my brother or sister? There is a little saying that suggests that forgiveness does not mean the other was right or innocent. Saying, “I forgive you” sets the other person free and calls them to a new way of being. They can either step up or not! Saying, “I forgive you” means I no longer carry the event, the wound in my heart. The event no longer has power to shape my life. Perhaps this week we can think about how we practice forgiveness. Today in our first reading Jeremiah laments the fact that God has enticed (tricked) him into doing what God wants. Doing what God wants has been difficult because his friends and people that he has known have mocked him, rejected him, and abused him. Even his own efforts to disconnect from God have left him empty, weary, burnt out and burnt up. Nothing satisfies him.
If we thought the gospel for today would bring us a little relief we were sadly mistaken because Jesus tells the disciples he is heading to Jerusalem where he will suffer and be killed by – wait for it – the Elders, the priests and the scribes – the religious leaders of the day, the very people who should be supporting him! The grim news does not stop there. Peter wants to save his friend Jesus from this suffering and death he is talking about. He takes Jesus away and says, “Hey, this cannot happen! We need to change directions here because we need you alive.” Jesus tells him to step away, he is acting like the evil one and not a child of God. Jesus has more grim news. Jesus tells his disciples that if they want to follow him, they had better get ready to carry their cross. If they want to save their life, they better prepare to lose it. If they choose success according to the vision of the world they will in fact be giving up their life. There is a little consolation at the end of the Gospel today. Jesus tells us that God will reward those who make the sacrifice to follow Jesus. In his letter to the Christians at Rome, Paul reminds them that they are to give their whole self to God. This is what worship is all about – giving of yourself. Taking up space in a house of prayer – regardless of how regular you do it, is not enough. We need to put our words into action. Paul warns the Christians not to be drawn in by the way the world measures success – slowly renew and grow your connection to Christ so that you can discern what is good, acceptable and perfect – what is God’s will! As I prayed with these texts I thought – wow – heavy stuff for the last Sunday of August! In actual fact, Scripture is clear today – nurturing a relationship with God is not easy work. Being a follower of Jesus is not easy work. Figuring out what God wants is not easy work. So how do we follow Jesus, nurture our relationship with God and figure out what God wants/expects from us. First of all, our lives are intimately linked to the life of God. We come from God and we will return to God. Jeremiah had a choice – God called and Jeremiah said yes and he continued to say yes, even though his life was disrupted and difficult. Jeremiah nurtured his relationship with God even as he complained about what God was asking him to do. Time and time again Jeremiah looked for God, returned to God and worked hard to do what God wanted him to do. We nurture our relationship with God by turning to God over and over again – in the good times and in the not so good times. Secondly, being a follower of Jesus, standing alongside Jesus means going into difficult places – it means suffering, it means carrying our crosses while our friends try to avoid them. It means teaching ourselves how to love unconditionally. It means loving the other when our friends say, ‘don’t go there’. This is not about being reckless or foolish, it is about choosing to be kind, to forgive, to encourage others when many say do not do it! Here in Western Canada that might mean reaching out to support immigrants and refugees rather than engaging in racist and self-serving words and actions. It might mean befriending men and women who are Muslim, Metis or Indigenous and speaking up for them and speaking with them to governments, organizations and political movements that choose to nurture unjust policies and behaviors. It might mean supporting initiatives that protect our environment when others dismiss the impact of climate change. It might mean supporting LGBQT people and initiatives when some Church leaders and political organizations urge us to reject them. It might mean speaking up when our Church and Government leaders ignore the rights of women to jobs, just wages and a voice at the table where decisions are made. It might mean choosing to educate our children in the faith and engaging in Sunday worship when others suggest our spiritual journey is not that important. It might mean protecting someone’s reputation when others are spreading false information on social media and nurturing hatred. Every day we have the chance to take up our cross. Thirdly, God works slowly. We are all about speed. We want quick results and God works slowly. Paul talks about the slow transformation of the human person in his letter to the Romans. If I continue to read sacred scripture and pray with sacred scripture, if I spend time with the poor, if I seek out the lost and listen to them, I am going to be changed. I am going to notice my attitudes and behaviors change. My words become less harsh, less rigid, less accusatory. I will notice my words becoming more encouraging, more positive, and much, much kinder! Following Jesus, nurturing our God relationship and doing that which is good, acceptable and perfect means living intentionally every day. From time to time we will hear people criticize us as Catholics/Christians. They criticize us because they notice a discrepancy between what we say and what we do. From time to time we will hear the news media critique us as Catholics/Christians because of what we say and what we do, what we do not say and what we do not do. We tend to get mad and we feel singled out because of our faith. People and the news media who critique us and point out our failures are doing us a favor when they call us out because of our discrepancies and our behavior. They are helping us to sharpen our focus. Does it hurt? Yes! Is it good for us? Oh yes! We need encouragement AND we need the words of our critics. They help us purify our thoughts and our actions. This week listen to those people who profess to be atheists, non-believers, those people who dislike Catholics and critique us. Let their words touch our lives and help us to be ever more faithful disciples. Let us continue to be kind to those who have power over our lives! Let us be kinder yet to those who are poor! Kindness will help us to choose what is good, acceptable, and perfect. Kindness will help us to be better followers of Jesus, will help us nurture our God relationships and kindness will help us discern what is God’s will. In our first reading from the Prophet Isaiah we hear the Lord getting into it with Shebna – the steward of the house. It would seem he has not been doing his job well and so the Lord is going to pull him down from his office and give it to Eliakim – his responsibilities and his power. I notice in this reading – there is an expectation that things be done according to the direction of the Lord – that the steward be a real steward, providing for the people.
In the Gospel, we hear Jesus pose two questions to the disciples, “what are people saying about me? and “Who do you say I am?” Peter responds and his response is a response rooted in God’s grace. Peter knows what he knows not because of his own human wisdom. He gives a response that is prompted by the grace of God. We are then told of the faithfulness of God. God will give him the keys of the Kingdom and will have his back forever. Grace is the foundation for everything Peter is to do. There is an interesting twist to this story. Jesus does not want the people to know what Peter knows. It would seem that the people are not ready to hear the full truth about who Jesus is. In our second reading from Paul’s letter to the Romans, Paul reminds the early Christians of the power and wisdom of God. It is impossible for people to fully understand and appreciate the wisdom of God. So what? As I sat with these readings it struck me that as Christians we sometimes get confused about who we are and what we are to do. We make claims about who we are and what our obligations are without checking them against sacred scripture, against the mind and heart of God. We make claims about who God is and what God does without really paying attention to God at all. We create God in our own image and likeness and we tell people God will do this and that when in fact it is our own selves who would do this or that. The bottom line being, we don’t really know God at all. When we speak of God, when we speak about Jesus what do we say about him? What kind of language do we use to describe God? It is important for us to listen to what others are saying about God but ultimately, we have to answer the question too! What are we going to say, when Jesus says to us, “Who do you say that I am?” What we most often get wrong about God is the generosity of God. The God we often talk about and proclaim is harsh and unforgiving, picky, narrow minded and local. We want our God to help us win against the other! In the time of Jesus, the religious leaders of the day spoke about the Messiah as someone who would come and liberate them from the Romans – a messiah who was going to make Israel great again – powerful, rich, bigger and better than everyone else. A messiah who would destroy their enemies and install them at the top of pile. They did not expect Jesus and his call to love God AND neighbour. They thought that the messiah would be a King, born in a palace not a cave, a King who would rule not serve, a King who would help the people fight and conquer their enemies with force, a King who would have his feet washed, not wash the feet of the poor. Jesus was not what they expected! Jesus is not what we expect! When viewed together, all of the scriptures we hear today tell us that on the one hand it is not easy to understand God/Jesus while on the other hand they tell us God/Jesus cares for us and cares about us. The scriptures give us a clue about who God is and who we are. From Isaiah we are made to understand clearly that our God wants us to be stewards – we are to take care of one another – we are responsible for each other – we are to be Father like. In other words, we don’t take care of ourselves first and then care for others. We are to provide for those around us – that is what good stewards/fathers do. From the gospel we are made to understand that God is faithful. God showers us with grace – with wisdom. We need to allow that grace to influence us so that what we are building flows from our relationship with God – from a place of love and kindness and not hatred and selfishness. From Paul we are reminded that our natural tendencies often lead us away from God. When we act on our own, without God we do things that are at odds with the heart and mind of God. Paul encourages us to take on the mind and heart of Jesus, to do the hard work of understanding and appreciating who our God is. This week I encourage you to sit down and write down who Jesus is for you. What does your Jesus do? What do you let Jesus do in the world and in your own life? You claim to be a Catholic – a Christian! People turn to you and are relying on you to teach them something about Jesus – what do you have to say? Sometimes we get the impression that it is enough for us to show up at Church, receive the Body of Christ and everything will be ok! Sometimes we put so much effort into getting the Body of Christ that we fail to discover who Jesus really is. Coming to Church every Sunday is not a bad thing to do! As your pastor I encourage you to do that. However, the other six days of the week are important to. What you do then matters a lot! While we are busy with many things, going to school, working, caring for children/parents, volunteering and ‘holidaying’, we ought to find a little time to nurture our relationship with God, with Jesus! It is hard to do what Jesus wants if we do not know Jesus, who he is and what is important to him. If Jesus walked up to you and said, “Who do you say that I am?” would you have an answer? Take some time this week and think about what you might say. Be sure to use your head and your heart, your body, and your spirit – let the Spirit of God within you speak. Let grace inform your thoughts, your words, and your actions. In our first reading from the Prophet Isaiah the words of the Lord leap off the page and challenge us to maintain justice and do what is right and be inclusive. God promises salvation to those of us who do this – who keep God’s words. This promise is no longer just for the People of Israel, this promise is for foreigners – Gentiles too. All people will be invited to the Holy Mountain – our prayer and our sacrifices will be seen, heard and welcomed. This is a huge change of vision and would have shocked the People of Israel – that God might love foreigners too!
In the Gospel, we hear the painful story of a woman and her daughter. There is great suffering and it would seem that both the disciples and Jesus are not interested in listening to her and her needs. Why? She is a woman, she is a Canaanite – a known enemy of the People of Israel. The woman’s respect and persistence pay off as Jesus finally notices her, pays attention to her faith, grants her prayer and holds her up as an example of faith. In our second reading from Paul’s letter to the Romans Paul reminds the early Christians that the gift and the call of God are irrevocable. In other words, God is with us – there is nothing that can reverse the love and mercy God has for us. God’s mercy is for ALL of us. The readings today are a real wake-up call for us. As followers of Jesus, our task is to maintain justice, do what is right AND recognize that ALL PEOPLE who obey God are welcome on God’s holy mountain. Yesterday we celebrated the Feast of the Assumption – this feast reminds us of the dignity of the human person. We are called to make sure that every human life is valued – from conception to natural death. At this moment in history it would seem that some people are valued more than others. Those of us who have power in our society make our selections on who has value based on: Skin color (are they white or not), on language spoken (speak English), on religion (they are not even Christian/they do not believe in God), on gender (she is just a woman), on sexual orientation (they are just not normal), on country of origin (foreigner/alien), job status (they don’t even have a decent job) and economic status (they don’t make much). We make our selection on who has value based on age (too young/too old), health and well-being (they are sick, they are going to die anyway, they are not worth spending money on them), education (high school) and address (they are from…). We are fortunate to live in Canada – while our country is far from perfect, our leaders are working at justice and doing what is right and at being inclusive. Having said that we have a long way to go. Too many people are considered ‘throw away’, and of little value in our country. Rather than caring for the poor, the marginalized and the immigrants there is a growing movement – extends across the country – just check on Facebook - to ‘keep our country the way it is’, to keep power in the hands of a few and to make sure the poor and the marginalized, stay poor, and marginalized. We do that by ignoring people who suffer domestic abuse. We do that by ignoring our problems and our divisive attitudes. How are we dealing with: alcohol and drug addiction, suicide, systemic racism, prejudice and discrimination, our care for our earth, creating policies, and practices that will care for our environment and finally, how do we invest in education and health care? We as Catholics often drag our heels when it comes to maintaining justice and doing what is right, and when it comes to welcoming ALL people. We are often slow to take up the challenge. When we look at the history of our Church we often say one thing and then do another. In other words, we remind ourselves to maintain justice and do what is right, to be inclusive and then we are slow to get behind and practically support initiatives that make a difference. Alternately we make one issue a priority and ignore all the others. Today, God’s word invites us to wake up. As I prayed with these texts, I asked myself, who is being silenced or ignored today by people with power? I came up with a list. I invite you to use the Gospel to create your own list. If we need help we can look to our Holy Father for direction and guidance. Since he became pope, Pope Francis has been highlighting for us groups of people who need our thoughts, prayers and attention. If we were to listen to him, we might discover that we, ourselves, are being mentioned by the Pope as people who deserve the attention of the rich and the powerful. Each of us is capable of making a difference – for others and for our earth. We might think that what we can accomplish is small and does not matter and yet today we are reminded that our individual actions together can create a wave of change. I look to the action – the faith of one woman who approached Jesus. She lacked power, she was considered an enemy, worthless, with no voice, and no rights. She was poor and in need, she had nothing to offer, to negotiate with. She did not have much but what did she have? She had her love for her daughter. She had her courage; courage to do whatever had to be done so that her daughter would be healed. She had faith in Jesus. She would stop at nothing, she would beg to get what she could. She would argue with men – those who held power! She challenged Jesus himself. I may be wrong but, in the Gospels, Jesus changes his mind only twice – when his mother asks him to do something when the wedding runs out of wine and here in this story when the woman asks him to heal her daughter. What will it take to change my mind, to help me see the suffering of the poor and the marginalized around me? What will it take for me to use my power for the well-being of the poor? What am I willing to do to make sure the people of our community get what they need to live and flourish? Who are the foreigners, the Canaanite women in my community? Who are the peoples most in need of mercy in my community? As this week unfolds what is the one thing I am prepared to do to maintain justice and do what is right, to include all people? 8/9/2020 0 Comments 19th Sunday in Ordinary TimeIn our first reading from 1st Kings we have the wonderful story of Elijah. He had been wanting to die because he felt abandoned by God, he had been tested, threatened, bullied by king and companions, and persecuted. The Lord convinced him to make an incredible journey. The prize at the end, an encounter with God. At the end of the journey we find Elijah waiting in a cave where he has spent the night waiting for God to reveal God’s self. God speaks and invites Elijah to go and stand on the mountain with the promise that he will pass by. We are told there is a great wind, an earthquake, a fire and then absolute silence. Each event holds the possibility of God’s presence. Somehow Elijah understands that God is there in the silence and with face covered he greets him.
In the Gospel, we pick up where we left off last Sunday. John the Baptist has been murdered by the King and Jesus had gone in search of solitude. After feeding the crowd, Jesus sends everyone away: the disciples to the other side of the water, the crowds are sent home. Jesus goes up the mountain to be alone; to pray. The disciples had given everything they had to the crowds and are now on the water; a dangerous place, far from land and battered by winds and waves. Jesus comes to them. They see him but do not recognize him and fear overtakes them. Immediately Jesus tries to calm them, “Take heart,” he says, “it is I, do not be afraid.” When Jesus calls him, Peter gets in the water and moves towards Jesus and he is doing okay until he takes his eyes off of Jesus – he focuses on the wind, the waves and the water and he begins to sink. He cries out in fear and Jesus reaches out and touches him. The story concludes with Jesus asking Peter, “Why did you doubt?” One gets the impression from Jesus that walking on water is an ordinary thing that everyone does. In Paul’s letter to the Romans, Paul speaks of how blessed the People of Israel are. In Paul’s eyes they don’t understand who Christ is – they are not connected to Christ. Paul says he would sacrifice his life and his own salvation if only they would/could recognize that Christ is their Lord, that Christ is everything. We believe that God loves us. But sometimes we doubt. In our day to day life we see wonderful things; we are witnesses of God’s goodness. While we have not seen five loaves and two fish feed thousands, we have seen what generous people can do. At the same time, we experience all sorts of struggles. We experience poverty, illness, job loss, racism, harsh judgment, abuse – we watch people we love suffer – we pray for miracles and like Elijah we are met with the silence of God. We also experience people making sacrifices for us, we feel the power of love. What do we do with our experiences? How do we respond to a God who reaches out and lifts us up and then disappears? What do we with a God who calls to us and when we respond, meets us with silence? What do we do when God does not give us what we think God should give? Sacred scripture suggests we pursue God; we look for God with everything we have – all our resources, all our strength.
2020 has not been the year we expected. Here we are in the middle of summer, with lots of uncertainty in our lives. What once was normal is not anymore. How do we move forward when there is so much change? What might moving forward look like for us? For me moving forward means:
What will help me? Sacred scripture suggests that long journeys, waiting in darkness, in silence, engaging the storms and winds of my life, giving all that I am and stepping out of the boat when God calls my name are some of the pathways that will help me find life. God wants all of me. God calls forth everything I have – even the last loaf and fish I possess. I might be frightened and sinking, overwhelmed by the winds, the waves and the water, the storms of life, but I am called to get out of the boat. I may be frightened, persecuted or threatened but I am called to walk with God. When I fall and when I fail, for I know I will, I can cry out to God and God will catch me! God is present. This week I invite each of us to look for God’s presence in unexpected places – in the experiences of loss and grief, betrayal and abandonment, in darkness and silence and in confusion and uncertainty. Do not give up – God walks with us. We are not alone! Two weeks ago we were invited to be kind, to notice kindness and last week we were invited to do that which is pleasing to God – set our wants aside and do that which serves the common good. As we begin today I want you to think about those times when people said, “Leave that alone it is none of your business!” or “That is not your job – you do this and leave that be!” or “I don’t need your help! I will do this myself!” or “You are not smart enough to do this!” or “You are not good enough to do this!” Have you ever in your life heard those phrases? They are not nice…they are painful in fact! I am sorry to have you think about them – but I want you to hold those memories for a moment and listen for God’s word – what God wants to say to you, what God does say to you!
In our first reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah, we hear God say, “Come to me you who are hungry, thirsty, poor, neglected – I will provide for you. Don’t waste your money on things that don’t satisfy. Listen to me and be nourished – because my love for you is sure.” In the gospel, Matthew tells us that John has just been killed by Herod – that is what happens when you challenge the social order – we don’t like people or leaders who invite us to change. Jesus goes away to grieve. While he thinks he is alone – he is not. The crowds find him and they have needs and Jesus responds. Jesus places their need for healing ahead of his own need to grieve. When evening comes, the disciples want Jesus to send the crowds away. Jesus reminds them that they should feed the people. The disciples go in search of food but find very little. Jesus blesses it and thousands are fed. In Paul’s letter to the Romans, Paul reminds the Christians of Rome that nothing can separate them from Christ’s love. Nothing in heaven or on earth can make God stop loving them. So what has that got to do with us? So often in our lives we receive and we give mixed messages. We tell our family members and those who are important to us…I love you and then we add conditions…and we hear that same message…that is not all…we are often told we need to take more responsibility and then we are told we are not needed. The messages are sometimes delivered subtly and sometimes with brutal force. Today in sacred scripture, our first reading reminds us that God sees us and that God cares for us. God invites us into a relationship that is rooted in love – unconditional love that touches our life, our hungers and our thirsts. In the Gospel, Jesus makes it clear that despite his own personal grief – the sufferings of others are important. He allows himself to be impacted by their suffering. He temporarily sets his grief aside and reaches out to those who are in need. After a long day of healing – evening comes and the crowds are hungry. When the disciples suggest they have nothing for the crowds to eat – that they are not responsible – the people can feed themselves, Jesus reminds them that they are responsible for the folks who are hungry. The disciples gather what they can – a few loaves of bread and fish. After the blessing of Jesus thousands are fed. Folks we are not responsible for everything but today scripture makes it clear we are responsible for something, we are responsible for each other – in the midst of our lives, our struggles, we are gently invited to be attentive to the needs of others. In our grief, can we reach out? When we have little for ourselves, can we share what little we have. It is amazing what sharing can do…think of the Potluck meals we used to have. When I was in a leadership position with the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate we had a meeting in San Diego – one day we went to visit our Oblate brothers who were working with the poor in Tijuana. There is a huge slum – thousands of people. The slum is near the garbage dump. The poor make a living sifting through the garbage for food – they fix broken things – things that the rich have thrown away. We took a walk through the slum – many are Catholic. Two women recognized the priests and they invited us to come and have tea…just tea…that is all they had…they lived in shacks – constructed from tin – the poverty hurt my heart. They shared what they had…I was so humbled. I was given an example to follow. God usually does not do things that are flashy and attract lots of attention. God is usually changing things one person at a time. Jesus fed thousands. It all started with a little – five loaves and two fish – people sharing what they had. You and I, we matter to God. What we do makes a difference. We may not see it, people might not give us an award, we may not get paid big bucks, but in point of fact in the same way that Jesus needed the disciples, today Jesus needs us. Not only that, what we do on a small scale has a huge impact as God continues to build up the Kingdom of God. God needs us and we are responsible for giving what we can – whether it is our time, our talents or our treasures. It is not how much we give – it is that we give as we are able. Sometimes we offer and our gifts are turned down. That hurts. Hopefully, we step back, remember who we are and when a new need emerges, we offer again. It is what we do. It is who we are! Our persistent generosity is a sign of God’s love – that nothing can separate us from the love of God poured out in Christ Jesus the Lord. You see – we are the connectors. We connect God’s love to those people who are hurting and in need. 7/27/2020 0 Comments 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time17th Sunday of Ordinary Time
July 25th 2020 In our first reading today from the First Book of Kings we hear words of praise for King Solomon because rather than asking something for himself, for his own benefit, he asks for the gift of wisdom so that he can rule wisely like his Father David. We know from reading the story that God Loved Solomon but if we were to continue to read the story the relationship takes an interesting twist. Solomon loses his desire to please God and he begins to long for power and for prestige. He loses sight of God. Today it is enough to know that Solomon desires to please the Lord in his actions and in his decisions. In the Gospel we come to the end of the parables in chapter 13 of Matthew. There are three parables today – in the first an individual is strolling through a field and he accidently discovers a treasure – in response to this discovery, the person hides the treasure and then sells everything and buys the field. In the second parable we are told the merchant is intentionally looking for fine pearls. He fines one and once again, is willing to sell everything just to obtain that pearl. In the third parable we are told someone casts a net that draws in everything. At a certain point that which is caught is sorted – the good is kept and the bad is thrown away. The person must choose that which is of value and that which is not. In our second reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans, Paul tells the Christians of Rome that those who love God are blessed. God transforms those who love God so that they become more and more like Christ. Those who love God are called, justified and glorified. So what? People often ask me if I believe in evil. I often give a quick answer – NO! They are often shocked. I tell them I BELIEVE IN GOD. I KNOW that evil exists – I spend my time trying to deepen my BELIEF in God – trying to express in my choices and in my actions, my commitment to God and the relationship I have with God. The real challenge for us is not dealing with some outer/external evil wreaking havoc in the world; the real challenge for us is our inner desire to do what we want rather than surrendering our body, our mind, our heart and soul to God. The early Christians had a hymn, it is found in Paul’s letter to the Philippians (2:5-11), where they marvel that Christ did not deem equality with God as something to grasped at – but rather surrendered his will to that of the Father… Today, we as men and women, grandparents and children – we continue to struggle with choosing between ‘my way’ (what benefits me) and ‘God’s way’ (what honors God and the common good). We often choose friends not because they are good people, but because they make us feel good or look good; we buy things, not because we need them but because we want them; we vote for particular politicians, not because they have the common good as their focus and guide, but because of what we think they will do to benefit us. Often it comes down to money in my pocket. I am not opposed to money, satisfying my wants and needs or feeling good. What I am concerned about opposed to and what God is concerned about and opposed to is putting the needs of the poor, behind my need for fame and fortune and feeling good. Solomon does okay when he seeks to do what is pleasing to God. He runs into trouble when he loses sight of his desire to please God and instead seeks his own personal well-being and when he seeks to increase his power. The parables encourage us to keep our eyes open for that which is good around us – the treasure – if we keep our eyes open we can see it in the course of our daily activities. The parables encourage us to wake up in the morning with the intention to seek that which is good – the fine pearl, and when we find it to make sure to do all that is in our power to hold on to it. The third parable tells us that at some point we are going to have to make a choice – sorting the contents of the net - between that which is good and that which is not good. Again, we must do all that we can to choose that which is good. Make no mistake this is hard work. The kingdom of God is not about what I want or think I need. It is about what is good in the eyes of God. It is not always easy to recognize that which is good because we are often looking for what will benefit me! Sacred scripture encourages us to keep our eyes open so that we focus our resources – our time, our talent, our treasure, on that which is good. Paul reminds the early Christians of Rome that love of God will never lead us astray. The more we love, the more we will become like Christ. Loving, becoming more and more like Christ will always lead us to God and it will lead us to justification and it will lead us to glory. It is true, there is evil at work in the world. The source of that evil is good people who take their eyes off of God and focus their eyes on what is pleasant to them, ti what benefits them. Each of us is easily distracted by and attracted to things that please us. Each of us, and all of us are challenged every day to make sacrifices. We are challenged every day to choose that which is good and to reject that which is evil. As summer stretches out before us and we take time to relax – let us keep our eyes focused on the common good, on what is pleasing to God. Let us not fall into the trap where I come first and others and God are left behind as I tend to my wants and needs, to what pleases me and gives me more power over others! 7/27/2020 0 Comments 19th Sunday of Ordinary TimeToday, the author of the Book of Wisdom reflects on the very nature of God. You have to remember when you read the Book of Wisdom that this text was written a few thousand years ago. At that time, not unlike today, people wanted a God who would take charge and punish – namely those who were evil – those who did not follow the Ten Commandments – those who were enemies of Israel and they wanted a God who would reward those who were faithful sons and daughters of Israel.
The author speaks not of a vengeful, protective punishing God but rather a God who is just – who welcomes all people. God shows power not through domination but through mercy and forgiveness, through tenderness and kindness. The author reminds us that God teaches us not to judge and condemn but to be kind and compassionate. Today I chose the shorter gospel reading. In chapter ten of the gospel of Matthew people are curious about the Kingdom of God/the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus tells three parables that give the crowd some insight into the very nature of God and the Kingdom. The crowds would have been shocked. In the first parable someone has sown weeds into the field. The servants are angry and want to tear out the weeds. The Master says, “let them be, they will be taken care of in due time! If you take them out now you might destroy the crop. You might destroy something that is good – thinking it is a weed when it is not, pulling up that which is good when you pull up a weed.” In the second parable, the mustard seed is small and it was considered a weed and yet Jesus uses it as an image of the kingdom. In this parable the mustard seed is useful and provides shelter for the creatures of the earth. Using the mustard seed as an example of the Kingdom would have stunned his hearers. In the third parable – a woman baking bread is used as an image of the Kingdom – she adds yeast to 3 measures of flour (144 cups) – enough to make 52 large loaves of bread – about 800 slices of bread – that is considered abundance – generosity. Again, Jesus uses a woman baking bread as an image of the Kingdom – a huge shock to his hearers. Paul tells the Christians at Rome – the Spirit is on your side – the Spirit helps you when you are weak. God knows your heart – knows the Spirit – knows the goodness that is within you. So what do these readings have to do with us? I am not sure about you but I grew up with the understanding that as a Christian I have to act better than everyone else – if I am going to be a good Christian I have to make sure that what I do does not diminish the Church in any way. As such the focus was on my moral conduct – what I could and could not do and not on my relationship with Jesus. Somehow in my formation as a Christian the idea that I am friends with God was pushed into the background. I had to be good so that God would reward me, much like my parents did when I did all my tasks or much like my teachers did when I studied hard and wrote good papers and finished my assignments. God would reward me for doing good and punish me for doing bad. While there is merit in this approach – the reason why we do good – Jesus Christ - was not front and center. My salvation was – heaven or hell was or the reputation of my family or the Church was – heaven forbid that the Church looks bad. Today that type of religion, religious faith, that understanding of God and the relationship between God and creation is nuanced, corrected. God reminds us that relationships are important; real power is not about domination or control; it is about mercy and forgiveness. This is what God wants from us. God is about kindness, abundance, generosity and patience. God is busy doing anything and everything to get our attention so that we live up to how we were created. God still wants to save us. The reputation of family and Church is still important. The reason for doing what we do is not a rule or a regulation – it is a relationship. We are in relationship with Jesus Christ. We are loved. We cannot earn God’s love – it is a gift. We do good things not out of fear but because we are loved! As one of my Oblate elders used to say, fear takes us half way up the mountain – love will take us all the way up the mountain to God. God wants us to receive the gift of love and then turn around and give that gift to others. Our work as Christians is not to force/beat/scare/shame people into the Church. Our work as Christians is to point people in the direction of God. The God we point to is not a God who scares, threatens, intimidates or dominates but a God who loves, forgives, calls, invites us into life with him. We are then encouraged to share that love with others through acts of kindness and mercy and forgiveness. As per usual I have some homework for you. Two parts: I invite us to notice the kindness of other people – those around us. I want us to take note of our own kindness – the times when we ourselves are kind, merciful and generous. I invite us to practice doing kind actions to strangers – it can be something as simple as waving your hand in greeting – it can be as simple as giving another the right of way – it can be as simple as saying thank you – it can be as simple as offering a complement – buying someone a cup of coffee – or it can be as simple as giving a donation to a group of people who help to feed the poor! We are fed by God’s Word, God’s Presence, God’s Body and Blood, God’s holy people (those that at first glance look like weeds) – we are fed so we can become more and more like our God. 7/16/2020 0 Comments 15th Sunday in Ordinary TimeI have two questions for you! Has anyone ever made you a promise, (I swear to God I will do it) and then not followed through with their promise/their commitment? Have you ever made a promise, (I swear to God I will do it) and then failed to follow through! In our daily life we often experience people making promises that are not kept and we ourselves often make promises that we fail to keep. Our human experience is that there are countless promises made and broken – individuals do it, trusted people do it, groups, organizations and leadership councils do it, and governments do it. This morning in our first reading, we hear Isaiah tell us that God is powerful – God’s words go out and they never return empty. They do exactly what God wants them to do. God does what God says God is going to do. This is what Isaiah tells us. In the gospel we read a part of the parable of the sower. I like this text because Jesus is acting foolishly. Jesus is being unreasonable. How is he foolish or unreasonable? Jesus is sowing seeds everywhere – on the path, on rocky ground with little topsoil, among the thorns, and even on good soil. Jesus, rather than sowing seeds where he is certain they will grow, scatters them everywhere. He would not be a good farmer here in Saskatchewan. Some of the seeds don’t really have much of a chance but then again one never knows. In St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, Paul suggests that creation has been fashioned by God. Creation has limits – there is suffering and meaninglessness – God knows what God created – it is not like God is out of touch. In the midst of this suffering and futility there is something within creation that makes it yearn for completion, for union with God. That same yearning or longing is alive within us. What we are searching for and longing for is God – even if we do not know it! God is present even if we cannot see God. When we look at our life we can and we do ask countless questions. What is my purpose in life? Why do bad things happen to good people? Why, if God is so good, why is there so much suffering? I have discovered that at various moments in our lives we fashion answers to these questions. We answer these questions based on what is happing for us. If we are suffering then we tend to have a negative view of people around us or of God. If things are going well for us – we tend to talk about how good God is. The measure of our faith is our ability to give God thanks and praise – our ability to trust God even when things look dark and painful. The scriptures today – beginning with our reading from Isaiah remind us that God is faithful – ultimately God is aware of how things are unfolding – when God intervenes it is never to destroy – it is always to create life and to communicate love. Jesus scatters his love, his invitations to love, his mercy and forgiveness everywhere. Paul tells us everything is as it should be. So what do we do? We have choices to make. We can welcome God’s life and love or we can reject it. I can be nice to my neighbour or I can be terrible. It is our choice. I can be generous or I can be stingy. I can be helpful or I can be greedy. The goodness we do or the evil we do causes ripples in our world. God calls us to goodness and to do good. The Spirit in us prompts us to goodness. We choose to say yes or no. The nasty things we see around us, the nasty things we do flow from choices we make. Here is where we often get upset. We think if we are good everyone should be good to us. We think if people are bad then they should be punished. Jesus is unreasonable – whether we are hard, rocky, thorny or good soil Jesus reaches out to us. That is okay when it pertains to us. But Jesus treats others the same way. It is this that we don’t like. As long as we are the recipient of forgiveness and mercy we are okay. When people we don’t like get the same treatment we cry foul – we say it is unfair – unreasonable. Today, God says to us – I have one goal to draw all people to myself – I have put my Spirit within you to encourage you to come to me, to long for me. I am not going to give up on you. Think about that folks. God will not give up on us. We welcome that kind of mercy. We are glad for it. God shares that same kind of mercy with everyone – even people we don’t like. We have a choice – we can respond to God’s goodness or not. It is up to us. This week – I invite us to take a look at those people we don’t like and see God reaching out to them. We cannot change God. We cannot change others. We can change ourselves. If we resent God’s goodness to them then we have some work to do. We have some new choices to make. We are invited to be like God – to be like Jesus. It is not about fighting – that kind of language is not helpful. We are to love, and we are to love always. I don’t know about you, but I know that I have to listen more closely to the Spirit alive in me. A spirit who encourages me to surrender my way of seeing so that I become more and more like Christ. Let us pray for each other this week! |
Fr. Doug Jeffrey, OMI Archives
March 2021
Categories |