A Clear & Ever-Present Danger!

 

Deacon Dave · A Clear & Ever-Present Danger

Homily for the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Nov. 5, 2023. Gospel of St. Matthew 23:1-12. Theme: A Clear and Ever Present Danger!

 Our readings this Sunday put the spotlight on the personal integrity of Church leaders as shepherds of the flock of Christ. And this isn’t a very comfortable topic in our times which have been overwhelmed by public revelations of abuse, corruption and breach of trust by bishops and priests. Perhaps we can find hope in the fact that nothing can obstruct the grace and light of Christ from reaching His people. Nevertheless, the ordained leadership of the Church must honestly reflect on today’s Gospel as a searing examination of conscience. 

 Pope Francis is often pointing out the great spiritual and moral danger of clericalism. Clericalism is when a man sees himself as "higher" or "better" or "holier" or "privileged" simply because of his ordination. It misleads him into thinking that he should be treated in a differential manner. Clericalism leads to "climbing the ladder" in Church leadership in order to claim its status of power, prestige and position. Clericalism was behind the deceitful behavior of abusive bishops and priests who perceived themselves as being above the rules. It is also what was behind the covering up of crimes in order to preserve the public image of the Church. Clericalism is a clear and ever-present danger to the well-being of the People of God. 

 Jesus dealt with this issue in today’s Gospel. He criticized the religious leaders of His time for putting forward their own agendas and self-interests at the expense of the people. He exposed their show of religious zeal as a sham and pointed out their pride in wanting to be honored and preferred to others. He condemned their strutting around in public dressed in the finest and fanciest robes of their office for all to see. These leaders were classic examples of ministers who fail to “practice what you preach.” And yet despite all of this…Jesus still upheld their legitimate authority as religious teachers. But He clearly made a distinction between the need for their divinely appointed office and the personal integrity of the ones who held it. 

 And this distinction makes a lot of sense to me because we do need a Church leadership that carries with it the certainty that God will direct us through it. Jesus did, after all, establish a teaching Church led by official teachers as the gospels clearly attest. We need bishops, priests and deacons who lead us, who assure proper organization and care of the flock. We need those who have studied long and hard and can teach us important things about our Faith. We need those who have been officially commissioned to preach the Gospel and celebrate the Sacraments for us. 

 At the same time we must realize that the clergy are sin-affected people like all of us. They have to struggle with the same kind of temptations and battle the same sort of desires that we all do. These things do not suddenly disappear when a man is ordained. And quite often if he is placed upon a pedestal by well-meaning people he may feel compelled to live and act in a way that is artificial but expected. This special treatment can even make it harder for him to see and admit his own weaknesses and sins. 

 So, how should we relate with our ordained clergy? Are we to turn a blind eye to their sins and ignore the lack of true leadership evident in some of their lives? No. not all. But it does remind me of an old saying, attributed to St. Teresa of Avila, which says that “God writes straight with crooked lines”. This means that despite weaknesses and sins, despite even laxity and corruption, God can still achieve His purposes through them. Christ can still teach us His Gospel through them. Grace can still reach us through them. In fairness to us it really cannot be otherwise because without human leadership how are we to receive the Word of God, offer liturgical worship and receive the blessings of the Sacraments? 

 So, what we need to do is follow the wisdom and directives found in today’s Gospel. This means that as long as what they preach is in accordance with the Faith, listen to the clergy because the Holy Spirit has sent them out as messengers of the Gospel. But don’t be shy or afraid to point out corruption or dereliction of duty when you see it. Quite often people grumble and complain but nothing ever changes because they refuse to speak up out of a false sense of respect for the clergy. As a baptized Catholic, a member of the Body of Christ, you have a responsibility for the well-being of the Church. Refuse to treat clergy differently than you would treat any other human being. And above all pray daily for all bishops, priests and deacons that having preached salvation to others they may not lose it for themselves.

Love is the Pathway to Peace

 

Deacon Dave · Love is the Pathway to Peace

Homily for the 30th Sunday of Ordinary Time, October 29, 2023. Gospel of St. Matthew 22:34-40. Theme: Love is the Pathway to Peace 

 I am sure we can all agree that Christ's Message of love, which is at the same time a message of peace, is desperately needed in our world today. World peace seems like such an abstract goal that’s far beyond our reach. I mean, can you and I really have any real influence in that regard? Well, actually, yes we can! But to see how this is possible we have to first break down that seemingly unreachable global concept into its smaller very reachable parts. What I mean is that each one of us is called to contribute to world peace by focusing on the little slice of life that is indeed within our reach, within our sphere of influence. 

 It’s very much like the way medicine is injected into one small part of the body and then slowly makes its way throughout the whole system until the disease is eradicated. Or as Jesus Himself told us, the Gospel of peace will spread throughout the world person by person, the way a pinch of salt makes its way through the whole recipe or the way a little bit of yeast ends up elevating the whole batch of dough. So you see, we have God’s Word that our personal efforts for peace can indeed end up having a global effect. It is not an utopian ideal beyond our reach. 

 In today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches us the way to peace by commanding us to love God above all things and to love our neighbor as much as we love ourselves. However, this double commandment was just the beginning, the starting point for His ever-expanding teachings on love. He moves on to include enemies in the list of those whom we must love and in the parable of the Good Samaritan He teaches us that all people without exception are to be recipients of our kindness and mercy. Finally, at the Last Supper He gave us His highest directive when he said, “This is My commandment: love one another as I have loved you ” (Jn 13:34) . And those last few words, “as I have loved you” make all the difference in the world! They are what make Christian love so radically different from all other definitions of the word. 

 So, what does it mean to “love as Jesus loves”? What does that look like? Well, fortunately for us all we need to do is turn to the Gospels for the answer. By doing so, we see Jesus in action and learn that His way of loving is one of self-emptying, self-forgetfulness and self-giving. It doesn’t take into account what it will cost the lover, the giver, because the focus is always on God and others. It’s very difficult to define, but we can surely say that to love as Jesus loves means that our love must be unconditional. To love as Jesus loves means that our love must be sacrificial. To love as Jesus loves means that our love must be forgiving. This way of loving is the pathway to authentic peace. 

 To love unconditionally means that we accept people as they are and not how we want them to be. We are to show kindness even to those who may rub us the wrong way without first insisting that they change their attitude or behavior. If any changes really need to be made in them, then those changes will more surely come about not by our demanding it, but by our loving them into existence. Because, when a person experiences unconditional love, it can often stir up within them the desire and the determination to become the best that they can be. So you see, practicing unconditional love in our relationships, which sometimes may have to be what we call “tough love”, has the power over time to change hearts and lives from the inside out. Unconditional love can’t help but breed peace. 

 Christ-like love is also meant to be sacrificial, putting the needs of the other before our own. Our natural tendency is to put ourselves and our own desires first. But Jesus reorders the priorities of our love. He calls us to put God first, others second, and ourselves last. Now, for us frail human beings, it’s a struggle to love like that, and it’s especially difficult to keep on doing so consistently! However, with and in Christ we can do it because God’s grace empowers us to do things that we didn't think we were ever capable of doing. We can find inspiration to keep on doing this in the figure of Christ on a crucifix, with His arms outstretched and His pierced side opened wide for us. It will remind us that He kept on loving right to the end and never gave up. Neither should we. 

 Lastly, to love like Jesus means that we must be forgiving. A hard fact of life is that we often hurt one another. A flippant remark, an insult expressed in anger, or a grudge that we won’t let go of can cause emotional wounds that fester and bleed. The refusal to forgive or the refusal to accept an apology drains life out of relationships. It leads to wounded hearts, results in broken families, and works against serenity in our hearts and ultimately against peace in the world. You know, when it comes to forgiveness, what always impresses me most is the fact that after His Resurrection, Jesus never made even one remark or rebuke to his disciples for having denied Him and abandoned Him. Instead of condemning them, the very first thing the Risen Christ said to them were words of peace and blessing. He allowed the past to remain in the past and die there. We would do well to do the same. 

 Loving as Jesus loves seems quite impossible and indeed it is on the natural human level! But He gives us the grace, the supernatural power, to do so. And He does this particularly through the Eucharist. Christ-living-in-us by Holy Communion unites our human love to His divine love and elevates it. It injects us with spiritual strength that can go far above and beyond our normal human capabilities. Through the power of His Sacramental Presence within us, He enables us to love as He loves but this happens gradually, bit by bit, day by day. And so over time, if we are faithful, we will find ourselves becoming real instruments of peace by loving more unconditionally, sacrificing more joyfully, and forgiving more quickly and sincerely. 

 Now, imagine if all 2.3 billion Christians on planet Earth each decided to live this way! What a huge leap forward that would be to actualizing world peace!. And it is possible but the decision is left up to you and me. Sadly, so many chose not to do so and become part of the problem instead of being what Jesus wants us to be: part of the solution.

Dressed for (Eternal) Success!

 

Deacon Dave · Dressed for (Eternal) Success!

Homily for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 15, 2023. Gospel of St. Matthew 22:1-14. Theme: Dressed for (Eternal) Success! 

Today’s Gospel gives us another one of Jesus’ parables and while it has a lot going on within it, the partthat seems to always grab people’s attention is the man who gets kicked out of the party for not being properly dressed. That may seem a bit extreme to us, but it’s another reason why I always say that we miss out on the full message of Scripture if we don’t know the culture out of which it came. With this in mind it’s helpful to know that in Jesus’ time when a king gave a party he often supplied more than the expected food, drink and entertainment. The host would often provide a rack of formal garments at the entrance gate for guests who did not come appropriately dressed. 

The wedding garment of this parable has often been interpreted as a symbol for the white gown that was given to adult converts at Baptism. We still have a remnant of this custom today which is why catechumens and infants often wear white when receiving this sacrament. It stands for the purity of the brand new spiritual life that is given through the saving grace of Baptism. It’s meant to remind us that through this sacrament we change out of our natural human condition of sin-woundedness and are re-dressed in the clothing of divine life which we call “sanctifying grace”. Or as St. Paul describes it, we “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 13:14) and are no longer spiritually alienated from God. 

But let’s get back to that guest who wasn’t wearing his wedding garment and see what that might mean. First, guests often arrived at a wedding party after having traveled for many days and so their clothes were dirty and stained with sweat. Clothing was hand-woven and handmade so it was extremely expensive and so ordinary everyday people didn’t own much of a wardrobe. This is why the host often supplied party garments and thus there was no polite excuse for anyone to enter without it on. This means that the offensive guest in today’s parable either refused the garment in the first place or he was wearing it but at some point decided to take it off. Either one of these actions would be extremely rude and a gesture of ingratitude to the king. 

I think we can see in this a symbol for those who either refuse God’s generous gift of eternal life through Baptism or who did indeed receive Baptism but later decided to not abide by it. For whatever reason, they do not want to live a Christian life and have chosen to lay aside their baptismal gown. They have taken off the Lord Jesus Christ and have only their own clothing to wear, soiled by sin and unfit for the wedding feast of Heaven. I bet many of us know people who would fit into this category. And I would also guess that many of us ourselves fall prey to this temptation now and then. And so we might be tempted to take off our wedding garments, assuring ourselves that we will have both the time and the opportunity to put them on again. The famous German Lutheran minister, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was killed by the Nazis in World War II, coined a term for this way of non-challenging self-focused thinking and acting. He called it “cheap grace”. 

Cheap grace means that we want God without His commandments; Christ without the cross; Heaven without repentance for sin; and Christianity without all the rules. In other words, cheap grace means that we want a Christianity of our own making; a religion that is fashioned according to our own likes and desires. Cheap grace is a hybrid-Christianity that doesn’t cost us anything or challenge us in any way. However, today’s parable warns us that our refusal to wear the wedding garment of God in favor of the cheap grace of our own clothing, will not only get us kicked out of the party but cause us to run the risk of being cast into the torment of Hell. 

And this is where we come face-to-face with the curious saying with which Jesus ends today’s parable: "many are invited but few are chosen". What the Lord is telling us is that in his great mercy and generosity, God invites all human beings to His wedding feast which is a symbol for living in a right relationship with Him both here and hereafter. But not everyone who RSVPs in a positive manner to this invitation ends up actually staying at the party. For various reasons some of us take off the wedding garment and lose our status as guests. While those who do remain dressed in their baptismal gowns for the celebration become the chosen few. 

But Jesus always has Good News for us. And the good news for today is that we can always rediscover the beauty of our Baptismal gown and redress ourselves in the wedding garment of saving grace. We do this by our sincere repentance, turning back to God and striving to live life with Him instead of without Him. We recommit to the promises of our Baptism by rejecting sin and selfishness and professing our trust in God as Father, in Jesus as Savior, and in the Holy Spirit as Lord and Giver of Divine Life. And then we can rejoin the party and enjoy all the festivities that God has in store for us at the wedding feast of Heaven.

Looking Backward & Forward in the Vineyard

 

Deacon Dave · Looking Backward & Forward in the Vineyard

Homily for the 27th Sunday of Ordinary Time, October 8, 2023. Gospel of St. Matthew 21:33-43. Theme: Looking Backward & Forward in the Vineyard 

I find it very odd that a verse which actually puts today’s parable into context has not been included in the gospel reading! The missing verse is found after the parable and it says: “When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they knew that he was speaking about them….” It’s no secret, then, just who Jesus is referring to and what this parable means. But like all parables, it goes beyond the literal and has application for our own lives today. This means that today’s parable looks backward and it looks forward. 

First, we’ll look backward. The parable was originally intended for the chief priests and Pharisees. Both groups were foundational to Jewish daily life. The Pharisees oversaw proper ritual behavior (even in one's home and private life) while the chief priests exercised authority over the people and acted as intermediaries between Israel and Rome. Both groups arose in the centuries before Christ to become caretakers of God’s people (the vineyard in today’s parable). Both groups ended up opposing the servants who were sent to the vineyard (the prophets of Israel). And lastly, both violently opposed even the son (Jesus) of the Landowner (God) when he came to set things straight. 

So, how did the chief priests and Pharisees end up being in opposition to God and failing in proper care of His people? The answer is really quite simple and quite ancient. As a matter of fact it's as old as the human race. It was sin, or more specifically, the illusions and delusions that are the fruit of sin. This is what made Adam and Eve think that they could become like God. This is what led the chief priests and Pharisees to think that they were not just tenant-managers but really the owners and rulers of the vineyard. And it is what ultimately brought Jesus to his death. 

Sin can make any of us fall into delusions and illusions as well. This is because all sin is fundamentally an expression of pride, which is an exaggerated unrealistic opinion of oneself. Pride makes us think that we are so vital in our personal world that things would fall apart without us. Pride fools us into thinking that we know best when it comes to setting moral standards in our lives, so who needs to pay attention to the Word of God? And, yes, pride still tempts those in religious leadership today into thinking that they are the owners of the vineyard instead of its tenant-managers when it comes to shepherding and serving the Lord’s people. 

And this is where the parable looks forward to us. Jesus says that new tenant-managers are being sent to oversee the vineyard. He is talking about His disciples, about you and me. This means that we are to see to the proper care and feeding of God’s people. Not just those who form the Body of Christ which is his Church, but all people for all belong to God in some way, shape or form. We are to do our best to “produce good fruit” which means living in a right and just relationship with God ourselves and helping others to do the same. To enable us to do this Christ has given us three special supernatural gifts: faith, hope and love. These garden tools of the vineyard help us to avoid the pitfalls of the chief priests and Pharisees. 

Faith means living in a dynamic personal relationship with God. It defeats the pride of Adam and Eve who forgot that they were but creatures and sought instead to become like the Creator. Faith reminds us of just who we are and Who God is. It enables us to maintain this sense of proper relationship as stewards and managers who are answerable to the Divine Landowner. 

Hope is the confident trust that God doesn’t judge us by externals but looks instead at our hearts and understands our weaknesses. It defeats the pride of the chief priests and Pharisees who were self-righteous, believing that scrupulous observance of the Law made them holy. Hope teaches us that God saves and blesses and reaches out to us freely and simply out of love and not because we have done something to earn it. Hope sets us free from the impossible burden and task of trying to be our own saviors. 

Love, which is the greatest of the three gifts, enables us to forget ourselves, showing compassion and mercy to all whom we encounter. It defeats pride by doing away with the delusions and illusions of exaggerated self-importance and reminds us that we are simply servants of God Who is love. It is the greatest of Jesus’ commandments and He told us to exercise love in the proper order: God first, others second and ourselves last. 

Faith, hope and love, then, are indispensable for the successful care of the Lord’s Vineyard. But they can only grow within us if we water them frequently with the grace of prayer and the sacraments. They blossom and produce fruit only if we prune away the dead branches of selfishness in our lives. They enable us to become faithful servants and trustworthy tenant-managers who will bring joy to the Landowner and will receive a reward from His Son when it comes time for the final harvest.

Walking the Walk, Not Just Talking the Talk

 

Deacon Dave · Walking the Walk

Homily for the 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Oct. 1, 2023. Gospel of St. Matthew 21:28-32. Theme: Walking the Walk, Not Just Talking the Talk 

The Parable of the Two Sons in today’s Gospel teaches us to be real careful about judging people based on who they are and how they live. Only God sees into the heart and knows all the various things that have happened in a person’s life that have made them into who they are and what they do. It also teaches us that no one is beyond God’s reach and that it’s never too late to change direction in life. We have plenty of examples of this in the lives of saints who lived far from God for many years and then turned themselves around in amazing stories of conversion. And we have also had our share of those in the opposite situation; of Church leaders who seemed good and holy on the outside but were corrupt and self-serving on the inside. 

A majority of the Jewish leaders whom Jesus was addressing in this parable were very much like that. They were so precise and externally obedient to their religious rituals and laws and from the outside looking in, they seemed to have it all together regarding God and devotion. But in reality, they utterly failed when it came to living out the very heart of religion. Even when they saw the miracles Jesus worked before their eyes they remained deaf to His teaching. They are like the first son in the parable, saying the things that make them look good and pious, but never actually following through with what God really asks of them. 

On the other hand, the tax collectors and prostitutes were in the opposite situation. They obviously did not care about looking good and virtuous to the people. Tax collectors were Jews who turned traitors, working for the enemy occupied forces and extorting their own people for personal financial gain. Prostitutes didn’t give a second thought to God’s Word about the sacredness of marriage and human sexuality. They made a good living by dragging others into their debauchery. In other words, at first they said “no” to God. But after hearing St. John the Baptist preaching repentance for sin, something clicked inside of them and they turned their “no” into a “yes”. And so they are like the second son. 

It seems to me that Jesus is asking each one of us to personally identify how we are responding to God’s Word in our lives. Are we like the Jewish leaders who think they are just fine as they are? Do we think that we will be welcomed into the Kingdom of God simply because we fulfill the formal obligations of our religion? Jesus calls us to examine ourselves on this very important question because He cannot heal what is broken until we admit it and then ask for His help. And a good place to start this process is by reflecting on a verse from our second reading today. In it, St. Paul calls us to proclaim Jesus Christ as LORD and then to live lives that truly reflect what this proclamation means. 

You see, in the ancient culture of the early Christians, the title of “Lord” was the way one addressed the ruler of the land or the master of slaves. So, St. Paul is telling us that if we truly profess that “Jesus is Lord” this means that He is the Ruler of my life and the Master of all my actions. In other words, Jesus is to be Lord of every aspect of my existence and not just of my religious devotion. So, we have to honestly ask ourselves: is Christ really and truly Lord of all my life? Lord of my social life, Lord of my financial life, Lord of my sexual life, Lord of my professional life, and Lord of my political life? Do His words and teachings influence, direct and inform all of these aspects of my existence? 

The external practices of faith can make us look good and even fool us into thinking that we are doing good, when in reality we are simply practicing an “empty-on-the-inside” religion. In such a situation, our lips say “yes” to God while the actions of our lives are really saying “no”. This is what Jesus was condemning in the Jewish leaders he confronted in today’s Gospel. But in the lived example of the reformed tax collectors and converted prostitutes Christ was reminding us that it’s never too late to change our response. And we can do so the very same way that they did! By being humble enough to take the preaching of St. John the Baptist to heart and put it into practice in our daily lives. 

And what was his message? It was simply this: Repent and give evidence by your actions that you intend to change. To repent means to have a change of mind which leads to a change of heart. It begins with humility and means walking the walk and not just talking the talk. It expresses itself by asking God for the grace to turn ourselves around. Repentance is more than the feelings of regret or remorse. It’s a mindful and intentional turning away from sin and selfishness that proves itself in a new way of living, a new way of thinking and a new way of loving that is inspired and enlightened by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

God's Ridiculous Generosity!

 

Deacon Dave · God's Ridiculous Generosity!

Homily for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sept. 24, 2023. Gospel of St. Matthew 20:1-16. Theme: God’s Ridiculous Generosity! 

The Parable of the Landowner in today's Gospel always gets alot of comments. Most of these have to do with how unfair it is to pay people the same wages for not doing an equal amount of work. However, as with all parables, it’s important not to get caught up in the particular details but to discover the message it contains. As important as a just wage may be, Jesus has a much deeper lesson to teach us. This parable is really about how God seems to be ridiculously generous with His love and mercy. It’s an example of how, as our first reading puts it, God's thoughts are not like our thoughts and God’s ways are totally unlike our ways of doing business, of living life. 

A big reason for this difference between how God thinks and acts and how we think and act is due to the fact that even among the best of us, there’s always some trace of selfishness. When we set out to do something, even something good and noble, there always seems to be a little bit of the question, “what will this cost me?” in the back of our minds. But as Christians we are called by Christ to put a check on selfishness because our mission in the world is to reflect the goodness of God. We are called to follow the example of Jesus who was also ridiculously generous with love and mercy, even to the point of it costing Him His life on the cross. 

When a Christian becomes really aware of this calling it begins to change them from the inside out. They start to understand more deeply the teaching of Jesus that love for God is utterly inseparable from love for neighbor. They begin to realize that since God has been so ridiculously generous with them, they are to pay it forward. So, when they see suffering around them, they refuse to be blind to it. And when they hear the cry of the poor they refuse to close their ears to it. Their hearts will not let them rest until they have done something, anything, whatever they can do, even if it doesn’t seem like much, to help their struggling neighbors who need some ridiculous generosity in their lives. 

One such group of Christians who do this are the members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul which was started in Paris in 1833, a time of bloody revolution in France. The destitute poor were starving and being decimated by sickness in their slums, while the wealthy were carrying on with their opulent lives, turning their eyes and ears away from the sights and sounds of suffering. A 20-year-old Catholic law student at the Sorbonne University named Frederic Ozanam together with 4 college classmates and a professor, began to understand that a faith that didn’t do something about this horrible situation wasn’t much of a faith at all. They reached a breaking point where they were no longer content to practice their religion by simply saying their prayers and going to Mass. They were pushed out of their comfort zone by the Scripture that says, “You can’t say that you love God whom you cannot see, if you do not come to the aid of your neighbor whom you can see.” 

Even though it was extremely dangerous, they began to go out 2-by-2 into the shacks and hovels of the Parisian slums. Through these home visits they were able to see with their own eyes what needed to be done. Then they would return to their parishes to collect food, clothing, medicine and money to distribute on their next round of visits. As news of what they were doing spread, others of all ages began to join them and many began to support them. The Society grew and spread. Today it’s a world-wide Catholic lay movement that has close to 100,000 members just in the USA alone. Here at St. Sebastian’s we have been very blessed to have had a parish Conference of the Society for over 40 years. And its members, known as Vincentians, still serve in that person-to-person way of Frederic and his first companions. They meet with the poor and learn for themselves the various needs that exist. And then they come back to their parishes, to us, in order to spread the word and collect funds to provide relief. 

Our Vincentians are ordinary everyday parishioners who have responded to God’s call to be ridiculously generous and do something beautiful for those who are struggling just to survive. You might be surprised to learn that right here within our own parish boundaries (which encompass Greenbrae, Kentfield and southern San Rafael) there are those who are living with the constant stress of being just one small paycheck away from homelessness. And quite often they are also caring for a disabled child or spouse. There are those who have to decide whether to pay utility bills or buy medicine because they can’t afford to do both. There are some who are newly out of rehab or others escaping abusive relationships who need assistance to start a new life and head in a new direction. And finally, there are so many who depend on the Safeway cards that our Vincentians distribute to help ends meet until the next meager paycheck arrives. 

Today’s Gospel parable tells us that not all who were sent into the vineyard did the exact same work and yet they all received the exact same reward from God. And this can also be said about the Vincentian works of mercy. God calls all of us without exception to share the responsibility of serving our neighbor in need, but not all of us will be able to work at it in the same way. Some are called to become active Vincentians who go out to the poor and we certainly need more of them! Others are called to become Vincentian partners through financial support. Both forms of participation are indispensable; both are desperately needed! So please listen with the ears of your heart and discover how God is calling you to become part of this beautiful expression of His ridiculous generosity. 

Today’s second collection for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul can be dropped into the donation boxes at the entrances to the church. Be sure to make a note on your check or use one of the special white envelopes you will find in the pews. I can personally assure you that every penny donated goes directly to the care of the poor. St. Sebastian parishioners have always been extremely generous to the poor and I am confident that this will continue and so I thank each one of you ahead of time! God bless you and grant you peace!

77 Times?!

 

Homily for the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sept. 17, 2023. Gospel of St. Matthew 18:21-35. Theme: 77 Times?! 

The message of today’s Liturgy is so important that the Church knows we need to hear it over and over again: forgive, forgive, forgive! In addition to the teaching in today's passage, Jesus’ consistent and persistent words about forgiveness were recorded by Matthew several more times in his edition of the Gospel. He tells us that Christ declared that only if we ourselves are merciful will we be shown mercy, warning us that God will forgive us on the basis that we forgive others. Jesus even made this clause a petition in the “Our Father” where He has us say: "...and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us..." We all know that prayer so well and can recite it so easily from memory that I think we often overlook what it is that we are actually saying! We are telling God to forgive us only and to the extent that we forgive others! 

Jesus gave us this repetitive emphasis on forgiveness because He knows that showing mercy by extending an olive branch to someone who has hurt us is probably one of the most difficult things for us to do. And the deeper the wound, the harder it is. But we have to remember that to forgive is not to condone a terrible thing that someone has done. It does not mean, “What you did to me was OK.” To forgive means that although we recognize the damage done to us, we freely choose to move beyond it. We intentionally refuse to seek revenge and “get even” because Christ intentionally refused to do so even during the agony of His Passion. And so, we choose to forgive because we want to have a merciful heart like Jesus. We know that if we are sincere about being Christians in fact and not just in name then we should forgive, we need to forgive, and we will receive the power to forgive. 

First, we should forgive. Because if we don’t we are actually rejecting God’s mercy for ourselves. I honestly think that most of us do not keep in mind the reality of this precondition for our own forgiveness. As I just mentioned, Jesus says it several times and in various ways. In today’s Gospel he puts it like: “So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.” Referring back to the parable of the unforgiving servant, what Jesus is saying is that we will receive only the amount of mercy that we ourselves give out. So, you see, for our own good if nothing else, we should forgive. 

Secondly, we need to forgive. Otherwise we will end up destroying ourselves. We know that unresolved anger along with the underlying seeds of resentment will become a spiritual cancer in our lives if we do not treat it with the medicine of mercy. It will entrap us in a toxic attitude that reaches out and poisons all our relationships in one way or another. How cold, callous and cruel it would be to have to live out our days in such an environment. There would be no meaningful expression of love. No inner serenity. No laughter or contentment. Actually, that’s a pretty good description of Hell, isn’t it? To refuse to forgive is to condemn ourselves to a slow and painful spiritual and emotional death. Holding a grudge results in past hurts remaining within us like radioactive material, gradually poisoning us from the inside out. We need to forgive if we want to live life to the fullest and experience love both in this world and in the after-life. 

Thirdly, we will be given the power to forgive. The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross is like a great river of forgiveness that keeps flowing through all centuries and generations until the end of time. When we discover the need to forgive someone and find it hard to do so, we can ask Christ in prayer to pour out this water of mercy upon us to soften the hardness of our hearts. Consistent and persistent prayer can transform each one of us bit by bit from being a victim into being a healer, from being a hater into being a lover. It might be very hard to do and it may even seem impossible. 

But Jesus, truly present in the Eucharist that we receive, makes it possible. Through our frequent and mindful communion with Him, He will place within us the power to love as he loves, to forgive as He forgives, to be merciful as He is merciful. Christ living in us by grace and Eucharist will give us the strength to overcome harmful attitudes of retaliation and to become a people of compassion who reflect the mercy of God. So, you see, as Christians we should forgive, we need to forgive, and we can forgive.