Sunday, July 31, 2022

Remedy for Greed? Love in Action!

 

Homily for the 18th Sunday of Ordinary Time, July 31, 2022. Gospel of St. Luke 12:13-21. Theme: Remedy for Greed? Love in Action!   

Dale Schroeder was a simple man born and bred in Iowa. He grew up poor, never went to college, never married. He labored as a carpenter for almost 70 years, driving back and forth to work in his rusty Chevy pickup. His friends described him as a typical frugal Mid-Westerner, raised in the post-depression era: a blue-collar lunch-pail kind of guy who went to work every day and to church every Sunday. They also said he had a generous heart. But they had no clue as to just how large his generous heart was! 

To everyone’s great surprise, when Dale Schroeder passed away he left behind a $3 million fund that he had carefully saved throughout all his working years. He had intentionally ear-marked this money to enable poor small-town Iowa kids to go to college and have a life that he was never able to have. On the anniversary of his death, several years after he had passed, a group of 33 college graduates gathered to honor, celebrate and thank a man they had never met. But he was a man whose lack of greed had changed the very direction of their lives. 

One of these “Dale’s Kids” (as they were called) was Kira Conrad, by then a practicing family therapist. She recalled how at her graduation party she was telling her guests that she would not be going to college. She had the grades and the desire, but just not the money. As God’s providence would have it, right after the party she got a phone call. It was Dale’s Scholarship Fund and Kira was given a full ride to college. Like each one of “Dale’s Kids”, she was told that the way to pay it back was to pay it forward: to imitate his self-forgetfulness and be generous with whatever God might bless her with in the future. 

Dale Schroeder was the polar opposite of the foolish rich man in today’s Gospel. He was a living example of what we call the “Social Teachings of the Church”. This is the part of Catholic Faith that has to do with our dealings with others and the world around us. And they are every bit as important to our salvation as are the Doctrinal Teachings of the Church, such as the Resurrection or the Eucharist. The Social Teachings are based on the “riches that matter to God” that Jesus spoke about: things such as mercy, justice, generosity and truth. The Catholic Social Teaching regarding wealth can be summed up as follows: 

First of all, we are simply the recipients of blessings from God, we are not their source nor their origin. Whatever talents and aptitudes we have in this life are due to the genetics that we’ve received. And quite often our wealth was actually earned by others and simply passed on to us. We can take no credit for either of these things for they came from God, either through our biology or our family history. We had nothing to do with either one. Even if we have worked hard to earn what we have, that too was a gift from God. So, this first social teaching of the Church reminds us to be humble. It keeps us in check and reminds us of just who we are, and what we are, and how we got to where we are. 

The second Social Teaching on wealth flows naturally out of the first and it’s this: the gifts we have been given are not meant for ourselves alone. They have been given to be shared with others. Everything we have received in life is held in stewardship, placed into our hands by God with an obligation of social responsibility. Like “Dale’s Kids'', we are supposed to pay it forward and use what we have received to help others live a decent human life. This is one of the ways in which we grow rich in what matters to God. 

But you know not many of us, indeed not most of us, are abundantly wealthy. However, sharing God’s blessings isn’t something reserved for just the rich. Nor is generosity dependent upon how much someone has in the bank. What counts in God’s eyes is not how much we give. What pleases him is the largeness of our hearts, the openness of our hands, and the motivation for our giving. And this is something everyone can do no matter what situation in life they find themselves in. 

One way for us to do this is through the St. Vincent de Paul Society that has an active Vincentian Conference right here in our own parish. This weekend we are returning to an old parish custom of taking up a special collection for the Society in every month that has a 5th Sunday. A lot of charities ask for your money, but I want to assure you that every single penny you donate to the Vincentians goes to the needs of the poor they serve. And that's not something ever charity can honestly say. There are no salaries to pay. No supplies to buy. No overhead. It all goes directly - and rather quickly - to the many works of mercy they carry out. 

Hopefully, you read the special St. Vincent de Paul Report that was sent out via Flocknotes earlier this month. If so, then you were able to learn how your financial support has made such a huge and vital difference in the lives of so many local people and their struggling families. Quite honestly, the charity relief of the Vincentians simply could not have been done without your generosity. They distribute the goods, but they do so in your name, on your behalf, because you are the ones who make it possible by your financial contributions. 

Our parish St. Vincent de Paul treasury has run quite low because the post-Covid inflation era need has grown so very high. You’ll find white St. Vincent de Paul envelopes in the pews to make your donation or you can simply put the Society’s name in the memo line of your check. But, in addition to funds, I am also appealing to any of you who feel a tug deep within your heart to do more and give more than money to the poor. Ask God in prayer if he wishes you to give yourself to the poor by becoming a parish Vincentian. Come to one of our meetings to see first hand what we are about. This is no obligation to join.

By supporting us in our works of mercy for the needs of the poor, you will be paying it forward like Kira and the rest of “Dale’s Kids”. If, with a grateful and humble heart, you invest your money in the treasury of the Vincentians, you’ll surely be taking steps to do what Jesus said in today’s Gospel about growing rich in what matters to God.



Saturday, July 23, 2022

Teach Us to Pray

 

Homily for the 17th Sunday of Ordinary Time, July 24, 2022. Gospel of St. Luke 11:1-13. Theme: Teach Us to Pray 

In the time of Jesus, it was expected that a religious teacher would give his disciples a simple prayer that summarized his approach to God. That’s why we heard in today’s Gospel that John the Baptist gave his followers a prayer and it’s why Jesus’ disciples wanted him to do the same thing. And so, we received the Lord’s Prayer directly from the lips of the Son of God himself. 

The two short lessons on prayer that finish out today’s Gospel are meant to encourage us in our praying. The first reminds us (and we need constant reminding about this!) that God is a good Father who in his far-seeing wisdom hears our prayers and will give us what is best for us. Every prayer we sincerely utter is answered but in the way that God knows to be best. The second teaching encourages us to persevere in prayer. It’s not that we will tire God out by our praying and ultimately get what we want! Quite often the importance of what we ask for is revealed to us in how faithful we remain to praying. If we give up after a few days of asking, it shows us that our need was really not as vital as we originally thought. 

The quintessential example of trustful perseverance in prayer is that of St.. Monica, the mother of the great St. Augustine of Hippo. Augustine grew into a handsome, brilliant, talented, rebellious and wealthy young man. During his teenage years and throughout his 20’s he belonged to a cult, lived with his girlfriend and gave free reign to hedonism in his life. During all this time - nearly 30 years - Monica persevered in prayer, begging God for his conversion often to the point of tears. Ultimately her petition was granted and she received so much more than she had hoped for: Augustine not only became a Catholic but a beloved pastor and a very learned bishop whose writings still influence Christianity today. 

But I want to focus on the Lord’s Prayer which we all know by heart and that we say so many times. Yet, even with all this familiarity, I wonder how often we pause to think about what we are really saying? This prayer is actually a collection of various petitions, so let’s take a look at each of these, one by one, so that we can learn to truly pray them from the heart and mean what we say. 

First we call God “our Father”, which means we acknowledge him as our Lifegiver, Provider and Protector. He yearns to gather all of humanity together as brothers and sisters and teaches us, through Jesus, how to live out this spiritual family relationship in love for one another. He is merciful and compassionate, promising to provide for our needs if we seek first his Kingdom in our lives and strive to do his will. 

“Who art in Heaven…” The Catechism teaches that “Heaven” is simply defined as “life with God”. So in this petition we are reminding ourselves that, as Jesus said, God is with us for he lives within us by grace. But he is also inviting us to live with him forever in the Heaven that we traditionally call his dwelling place. 

“Hallowed be thy name…” “Hallowed” means holy. In this first petition, we are asking that God’s name (which means His Self, His Person) be respected and reverenced by all. We are asking that we ourselves preserve this reverence for God in our own personal lives and uphold it by our own words and deeds. It is an echo of the 2nd commandment to not misuse the Lord’s name. 

“Thy kingdom come…” We are not talking here about God’s kingdom as a place such as Heaven. God’s Kingdom means his royal authority over every being. This second petition has a twofold meaning. First, we are praying that God will reign in every human heart. That all will praise and worship him as Lord of their lives. We are also praying for Christ to return in glory at the end of time when he will establish his Kingdom, banishing all evil, sin, sorrow and suffering from the human race forever. 

“Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven…” The third petition asks God that our wills be conformed to his divine will. When Jesus was praying to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane, he also used the words “thy will be done.” When we pray “thy will be done” we commit ourselves to following Jesus as sons and daughters of God the Father, willing to embrace his plan for our lives no matter what that might look like. We can make this petition boldly because we trust that God only has our ultimate good in mind. We want to do God’s will here on planet Earth just as the angels and saints fulfill it in Heaven. 

“Give us this day, our daily bread…” In this fourth petition, we express our trust in and dependency upon our heavenly Father and Provider. Because we are both body and soul, the phrase “our daily bread” refers to both the nourishment we need for our physical health and the spiritual food of the Word of God and the Eucharist to sustain our spiritual health. Too many people overfeed the body but starve the soul to death. 

“Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us…” This is the petition that has caused saints to call the Our Father a “dangerous prayer”. In it, we make a pact with God, so to speak. We agree to only be forgiven our sins to the extent that we ourselves forgive others. So each time we say the Lord’s Prayer we are in effect saying, “O God, forgive me only to the extent that I myself forgive those who have offended me.” We remember that Jesus made forgiveness a non-negotiable for us, his disciples, and that he said quite clearly that God will not forgive us if we do not forgive others. 

“Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil…” Pope Francis has spoken quite a bit about these words to remind us that God does not lead anyone into temptation and sin. He has even agreed to this petition being re-translated because of the confusion it often causes. Basically, what we are really asking here is that God will preserve us from taking a path that leads to sin. We are praying for the grace and strength to avoid whatever tends to lead us away from loving him and our neighbor. The Catechism teaches that the “evil” in this petition is not some abstract evil, but actually refers to a person who is known by many names: Satan, Lucifer, the Devil, the Evil One, the Murderer and the Liar. He is a fallen angel who, along with other fallen angels called demons, opposes God and who is the enemy of the human race (see CCC, 2851). 

Finally, we conclude our prayer with “Amen!” After praying all of these petitions, we end by affirming our belief in all that we have said. “Amen” is a Hebrew word that means “I believe it”. For our “Amen” to be genuine, to be real and from the heart, we must make sure that it's not just a form of speech, but that we truly mean what we say by living out the petitions of the Lord’s Prayer in our daily lives.



Saturday, July 16, 2022

Choosing the Better Part

 

Homily for the 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time, July 17, 2022. The Gospel of St. Luke 10:38-42. Theme: Choosing the Better Part 

Today’s gospel is a glimpse into a really beautiful aspect of Jesus’ humanity that we usually don’t think about: his friendships. We learn from various stories in the gospels that Jesus had some special friendships and at the top of that list was the sibling family of Lazarus, whom Jesus would later raise from the dead, along with his sisters, Martha and Mary. They lived in the village of Bethany, which was like a suburb of Jerusalem, and their place was very much Jesus’ “home away from home”. He would often stay with them when he traveled to the Holy City so that they could enjoy each other’s company and catch up on each other's lives. 

In today’s Gospel we are dropping in on one of these visits. The reason for the rather passive-aggressive attitude in Martha is that it was the custom of their times for the men to gather in the main room while the women took care of the various necessities demanded by Middle-Eastern hospitality. And Martha is starting to get ticked off by her sister’s anti-cultural behavior. She sees Mary’s apparent disinterest as a kind of neglect of what she considers to be most hospitable for their guest. But Jesus seems to be telling Martha that there are two ways to honor and welcome him: by one's activity in trying to make things nice for his stay and by one’s attentive presence, simply remaining in his company. 

It seems that as far as Christ is concerned, while he appreciates both, he declares that Mary has chosen the best option, the better part. She sits at his feet listening to his teachings, pondering and absorbing his words. She recognizes Someone far different and greater here than the usual vitior. When the guest is Jesus then the table is turned so to speak. It is he who provides them with hospitality on a deeper level, giving them the peace and consolation of his Word and Presence. And Mary is hungry and thirsty for more of this spiritual nourishment! 

I think that the Holy Spirit may have put this story of Bethany in the Gospel because he wants us to receive and welcome Jesus with the same attitude as Mary. The Lord wants to be in our lives as Guest and Teacher, as Friend and Companion. As Guest Jesus accepts our invitation to enter into our lives. As Teacher he opens our minds and hearts to the truth that sets us free. As Friend he finds delight in just spending time with us. And as Companion he chooses to walk through life with us. Each of these aspects of our relationship with Jesus can be nurtured and deepened through prayer. And Mary of Bethany is an excellent model for us in this endeavor of choosing the “better part”, which means making and keeping a personal relationship with Christ as the main priority of our lives. 

In receiving Jesus as Guest, Mary shows us that we give him our warmest welcome simply by choosing to spend time with him. This requires that we prioritize prayer in our daily schedule. Then, as we sit with attentiveness at the feet of our Guest, so to speak, Mary shows us how to engage in this better part of life. She asks us to just be with Jesus, to pay attention to what he says, to absorb his Word, to take it in and allow it to become part of us. But to do this, of course, we must actually take the Gospels into our hands and intentionally set aside time for being with the Lord. As we read we ask Jesus to enlighten our minds and in silence we listen to him speaking gently within us. His responses will be made known to us through ideas, illuminations, thoughts, decisions we are led to make. This is how we hear his Word and allow it to really sink in. This is how Christ our Guest becomes Christ our Teacher. 

By persevering in this prayer-time with Jesus on a regular basis we will see that the Teacher also becomes our Friend. As we all know, a friend is someone whom we get to know better and with whom we form a bond. We become attached and begin to look for ways to deepen our relationship. Fortunately for us, Jesus our Friend has provided us with the way to do this: his on-going personal Real Presence in the Eucharist. By consciously and intentionally receiving Jesus in Holy Communion on a frequent basis, we will find a marvelous transformation happening within us as Jesus the Friend becomes even more than that. He begins to become Jesus our Companion. Like any close friend who chooses to remain in our company, Christ walks side-by-side with us through the various ups and downs of our lives, assuring us that things will be okay and that we are never alone. This is the great blessing we will receive for having consistently chosen the better part like Mary of Bethany.



Saturday, July 9, 2022

Go and Do Likewise

 

Homily for the 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time, July 10, 2022. Gospel of St. Luke 10:25-37. Theme: Go and Do Likewise 

The scholar of the law in today’s Gospel was a man who thought he knew all the right answers when it comes to religion. After all, that was his job. You see, he was a scribe, a professional religious lawyer. Jesus, however, gives him an answer that must’ve turned his smugness upside down, because the hero of Jesus’ story is the scribe’s archenemy: a Samaritan. According to Jewish religious law the Samaritans were heretics, scoundrels, considered sinfully unclean and repugnant to God from the inside out! A devout Jew didn’t want to breathe the same air or be covered with the same dust as a Samaritan. So, you can imagine the looks and words that Jesus probably got when he began speaking about a Good Samaritan who was the role model of the parable. 

But Jesus went even further than simply making a Samaritan look good. He makes two religious clergymen of Judaism, a priest and a Levite, the failures and moral cowards of the story. They see the injured beaten man and they avoid him. They cross the street. They look the other way, and go about their business. Jewish law forbids them to come into contact with blood or death if they wished to remain ritually clean to offer worship in the temple. They were most likely not cold-hearted men but they have put man-made laws above the divine law. They’ve got their priorities mixed up. They fail to actualize the truth that love for God demands love for one’s neighbor always and everywhere. These two loves are inseparable. They do not understand that it’s not external things that defile us, rather, we become unworthy to offer God worship when we can help our neighbor in need but refuse to do so. 

Jesus asks us through this parable to go beyond a clean, neat and safe generalization concerning love for our neighbor. Our consciences are not pricked by generalizations. Our faith is not challenged by generalizations. Generalizations are so easy to talk about and they leave us relatively undisturbed. However, when we personally encounter a dirty sick-looking person sitting outside a store with his hand raised for a donation, it no longer becomes easy to ignore. The generalization becomes a flesh and bone reality staring us in the face. The Lord calls us in this parable to see individual persons who are in specific concrete situations, and to do what we can to alleviate their suffering. He asks us to get our hands dirty in carrying out personal acts of mercy. 

In today’s Gospel Jesus is encouraging us to become something far greater than we think we can become. He is asking us to go beyond ourselves, out of our comfort zones, and to love in a way that may at first seem impossible if left to our own devices. But he doesn’t leave us to our own devices. I can think of two special ways to help us grow in love for neighbor that can be found right here in our own parish: the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. 

Inspired by this Parable of the Good Samaritan, Blessed Frederic Ozanam founded the St. Vincent de Paul Society in 1833. He did this so that ordinary Catholics who want to do good to others and make a difference would be able to have a concrete specific way to love their neighbor and be Good Samaritans. We have a very active group of Vincentians right here in our own parish who will welcome all who want to join their company in coming to the help of their neighbor. 

We also have Mass and opportunities of Adoration that are like fuel for the fire of love of neighbor. The Eucharist gives us spiritual strength and energy to do things that we never thought we could do. By means of his Real Presence in the Eucharist that we receive and adore, Christ comes to live within us and to love others concretely through us. Through our intimate holy communions with Jesus, he makes it possible for each one of us to take the Parable of the Good Samaritan and bring it to life, transforming it from being just ink on a page and making it a flesh and blood reality in our lives as Christians.









Saturday, July 2, 2022

Becoming Truly Free From the Inside Out!

 

Homily for the Fourth of July, 2022. Reading: Galatians 5:1, 13-18. Theme: Becoming Truly Free From the Inside Out!

The gift of freedom, both as individuals and as a people, is at the heart of our identity as Americans. It is enshrined in our Constitution under the famous three-part declaration that we have our God-given - not government given - rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. This is what we celebrate every year on July 4 as we remember the struggle for independence, acclaim our national identity and celebrate what has been called the “American Experiment” with food, parties and awesome displays of fireworks. 

But you know, freedom is a tricky and much misunderstood word. Many would define it as the right to do whatever I want as long as no one gets hurt by my choices. But in the New Testament, St. Paul reminds us that in Christ we have been given freedom, not so that we can do whatever we please, but so that we can choose to do what is good and true, what is loving and life-giving. He warns us that if we misuse this gift we will end up becoming enslaved in a way that is much worse than the political oppression that our forefathers revolted against. 

Sadly, according to psychologists, therapists and ministers this is precisely what has happened to a majority of us who live in this Land of the Free. They say that we who enjoy American independence are actually among the highest in the world to suffer emotional and spiritual imprisonment and slavery. The reason? Because by and large we refuse to forgive. Their experience counseling people has shown them that holding onto old wounds and nursing resentment is the #1 cause for such things as: anger, broken relationships and fractured families as well as many forms of depression and addiction. These are all ways in which we abuse the gift of freedom and fall back into into the slavery that St. Paul cautions us to avoid. 

Dr. Robert Enright, is a devout practicing Catholic and an internationally acclaimed psychologist, whom Time magazine has called the “Trailblazer of Forgiveness". He travels the world as part of the International Forgiveness Institute, dedicating the past 25 years of his life to helping people achieve and experience real and full inner freedom in their lives. Here is how he describes forgiveness, a definition that could have been written by St. Paul himself: 

When you forgive someone who has deeply hurt you, you let go of resentment and the urge to seek revenge, no matter how deserving of these things the wrongdoer may be. You choose to give the great gifts of acceptance, generosity and love. Forgiving is an act of mercy toward an offender, someone who does not necessarily deserve our mercy but you don’t let that stand in your way. Rather, you give because you have chosen to have a merciful heart, a heart with the power to free yourself so you can live a better life. 

Dr. Enright tells us that forgiveness does not always mean reconciliation with the person who has offended us. That may never come about but it doesn’t have to in order for forgiveness to be genuine. Most of the time we will really struggle to forgive and will have to wrestle with the negativity that arises each time the memory of the hurt arises in our minds. 

But if we surrender ourselves to the Holy Spirit, then we will find a power greater than ourselves that will enable us to meet these memories with the intentional decision to forgive. Forgiveness does not mean that what a person said or did to us was okay. But it does mean that we will do our best to let go of it. We will make the decision to leave the reckoning to God who alone knows what is in the heart. 

Eventually, if we are sincere and ask God to accompany us on this forgiveness journey, we will reach a place of peace and serenity. We will be able to truly let go of the hurts and experience what it means to blessed with a life rooted in liberty and truly open to the pursuit of happiness. We will finally and truly be free from the inside out.