What's not to like about today's readings. Good things are in store for the poor, the oppressed, and the faithful. Plus, a divine smackdown awaits the arrogant and greedy! But what makes us so certain that we are part of the former category, rather than the latter one? "The LORD is a God of justice, who knows no favorites." Believe it or not, that includes you too.
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
"Our help is from the Lord." But help with what? Mowing down our enemies, or loving them? Proving the ignorance of heathens and heretics, or hearing the hopes and dreams of our brothers and sisters? Obtaining the satisfaction that we demand, or spreading the justice that our family deserves? Truly, what sort of faith will the Son of Man find on earth when he comes?
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Is anyone surprised that ten were healed but only one returned to say thank you? Were the other nine ungrateful or just eager to get the priests' blessing? Who can blame them for going with the practical choice? After all, whose approval most impacts our day to day living? And whose mercy is it safest to take for granted? How many of us choose faith while we still have other options?
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Who among us aspires to be an unprofitable servant? Most of us would be embarrassed or offended if branded with such a label. Even slackers and bums would likely reject it as too subservient. And that is why faith is so hard for us. We are a prideful and impatient people. We set out from an early age to conquer life, to mold it according to our dreams. Some of us are foolish enough to think that we have actually succeeded in those endeavors. But whether we are alive to witness it or not, all of our feeble kingdoms collapse eventually. Only one kingdom lasts; only one kingdom matters. And we serve that kingdom by surrendering control: of our time, of our will, of our very lives. Rarely will such faith make sense from day to day, but it will move mountains, not merely trees, when it counts. So let us strive to be our Creator's unprofitable servants, for there is no higher honor than that.
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
"Then Abraham said, 'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.'" Clearly, threats of exile and torment don't work either. We live in a world where the rich men are even wealthier, Lazarus and his kin are far more numerous, and the majority of us accept it all with a shrug because none of us really believe that there is some eternal great chasm in our future. Our Parent is too loving and merciful for that. They'll make it a win-win for everyone in the end. Good news, right? But what if that means sharing a banquet table with Lazarus and his kin for all eternity? And what if they start asking awkward questions, about whether we were sickened by their condition, or what we did with the scraps from our tables? Even worse, what if they already know every detail of every good we received in our lifetimes, including how we used or didn't use those blessings? What if they ask us why we refused to love them like the brothers and sisters that they are? And what if they respond to all of this by showering us with more love and mercy than we ever gave them? Perhaps exile, torments, and chasms are the easier fates after all.
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
"You cannot serve both God and mammon." And there it is, the truth we do not want to hear. We so desperately want to believe that we can have our toys and our games, and still be righteous people. We insist upon it. But life just does not work that way. Look around you! Is there any doubt that we possess the resources to care for every single one of our siblings? So why do some drown in luxury, while others waste away from hunger, disease, or violence? Perhaps because most of us are happily comfortable, so why should we rock the boat? The cold, hard truth is that we have chosen to serve ourselves, not our family. And no amount of largesse tossed into our favorite charity bucket can ever alter that reality. "Never will I forget a thing they have done!" Time to face the music.
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
God loves losers. They choose a tribe of rebellious malcontents to be his people, select the foremost sinner to be her apostle, and pine obscenely for a handful of lost souls despite a plethora of devoted followers. So why are we so fixated on being winners? Who are we trying to impress? When will we get it through our thick skulls that power, wealth, and fame mean nothing? All our Parent cares about is that we exist. We miserable losers exist. That is enough. Enough for an eternity of love.
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
"Who can conceive what the LORD intends?" Certainly not those who insist on approaching God with human ears and minds. Jesus tells us to reject family, friends, possessions, and even our own lives. But such statements do not compute with our logic in regards to the Prince of Peace and the King of Love. So we search and search for hidden meanings, ignoring the possibility that our Brother meant what he said and said what he meant. He is inviting us to join him on a most excellent adventure to realms unimaginable. How can we embark on such a journey while clinging to mere dust? Of course we should hate all that holds us back from the cross! And of course that same cross demands from us the most sublime love of neighbor and self! Do not expect Truth to look consistent to your eyes. Challenge yourself to view all that has been, is, and ever will be through your Parent's instead.
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
How powerful is our desire for honor and prestige that Jesus must co-opt that obsession in order to teach us about humility? But more importantly, what have we ever done to deserve such honor or prestige? Is there a single human accomplishment that cannot be traced back to the good fortune of acquiring some divine gift? Be it physical creation or immaterial inspiration, everything we and our ancestors have ever possessed or known came from acts of grace. Even in caring for "the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind", we are nothing more than middlemen. God created this home for all of us. Should we praised for sharing that gift with our brothers and sisters, or shamed for having to be talked into doing so? We really don't have a clue, about ourselves or the kingdom, do we?
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
"Lord, will only a few people be saved?" Let's be honest, most of us are relieved by Jesus' answer. Sure, we might have a nagging doubt about being "strong enough" to get in on the first try, but that's what Purgatory is for. What we really want to know, however, is if "those people" will make the cut. You know, the ones whose membership in the Scum of the Month Club nobody quibbles over. Surely we won't have to sit next to them in the kingdom. Right? It's only fair! Yes, we are all God's children. But some of our siblings are just utterly incapable of being "trained" by our Parent's discipline. Why shouldn't they get locked out? That's what "evildoers" deserve! Right? And there it is. We will always and forever be the elder brother, fuming that the Prodigal One is back in the house. After all, what truly matters is being in God's company and listening to their word. Right? So by all means, let us "strive to enter through the narrow gate." But let's also strive to not be too surprised or disappointed when we find out that our Brother failed to mention that the kingdom's back door is a bit wider.
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