August 2, 1998Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time |
The Gospel for this Sunday is rather stern, and almost sounds like one which we would hear closer to the end of the Church year. It is a warning and a lesson for us in priorities..what is really important in our lives, and to live each day as if it were our last, in the shadow of eternity so to speak. The Navarre Bible Text and Commentaries on St. Luke's Gospel notes (concerning this passage) that This man is only interested in his own problems; he sees in Jesus only a teacher with authority and prestige who can help sort out his case. He is a good example of those who approach religious authorities not to seek advice on the way they should go in their spiritual life, but rather to get them to solve their marital problems. Jesus vigorously rejects the man's request - not because he is insensitive to the injustice which may have been committed in this family, but because it is not part of his redemptive mission to intervene in matters of this kind. By his word and example the Master shows us that his work of salvation is not aimed at solving the many social and family problems that arise in human society; he has come to give us the principles and moral standards which should inspire our actions in temporal affairs, but not to give us precise, technical solutions to problems which arise; to that end he has endowed us with intelligence and freedom.
The Gospel can also serve as an examination of conscience for us. What is really important for us in our lives, and our relationship with God? Do we spend too much time on things and problems that are unimportant and miss the big picture? What we spend so much time on, in the end, may not amount to much. We always need to grow rich in the sight of God. St. Athanasius, one of the early Fathers of the Church, preached that A person who lives as if he were to die every day - given that our life is uncertain by definition - will not sin, for good fear extinguishes most of the disorder of our appetites; whereas he who thinks he has a long life ahead of him will easily let himself be dominated by pleasures.
Celebrate 2000!...Reflections on Jesus, The Holy Spirit, and the Father, by Pope John Paul II...A Credible Sign Of Reconciliation...United to Christ as a visible communion of persons, the Church must take as her model the early Christian community in Jerusalem, which devoted itself to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers (Acts 2:42). If the Church is to be a credible sign of reconciliation to the world, all those who believe, whoever they may be, must be of one heart and one soul (Acts 4:32). By your fraternal communion the world will know that you are Christ's disciples!
The members of the Catholic Church should take to heart the plea of St. Paul: always be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph 4:3). With gentleness and patience, revere the Church as Christ's beloved Bride who is ever vigorous and youthful. So many problems arise when people think of the Church as theirs, when in fact she belongs to Christ. Christ and the Church are inseparably united as one flesh (see Ephesians 5:31). Our love for Christ finds its vital expression in our love for the Church. Polarization and destructive criticism have no place among those who are of the household of faith (Gal 6:10). [TPS 39/2, 1994, 89]
"Serve the Lord with gladness" (Psalm 100) in good times and bad, when it is convenient and when it is not. Being for the Lord and for one another involves a lot of inconvenience. We can always think of something else that would be more fun or more interesting to do. And it seems easy for us to excuse ourselves from fulfilling a commitment that we have made at "Church." We seem to "conveniently forget" and not let it bother our consciences. Perhaps being so cavalier with our commitment to the Lord to be for one another in the Body of Christ is why the world is so indifferent to commitments now. Think about it.
PLAY FAIR, LIVE FAIR If honesty and integrity are important to you, then they will probably matter to your children as well. Youngsters really do learn from what they see and hear from parents, grandparents, everyone who spends a lot of time with them. Find ways to use little bits of time to make the big impression you want on the children in your life.
Have meals together often and use some of the time to talk about issues and values. Encourage fair play when you're actually playing sports and games. If a store clerk gives you too much change, return it and let your youngster know why that's the right thing to do. Explain that when you take credit for another's ideas, or use someone's services without compensating them, or infringe on company time for personal matters - that, too, is dishonest.
Most importantly, give good example. Everyday!
As we turn the calendar page to August, the 15th stands out. In Church lingo, the Assumption of Mary is a solemnity, right up there with Pentecost, All Saints and Christmas. Some Eastern Rite churches call it the "Dormition" or "Falling Asleep" of Mary, and this concept leaves many of us in a fog. What are we really celebrating? We affirm and celebrate that Mary, the holy and human sanctuary of the Son of God, even now enjoys the integrity of body and soul that we will one day enjoy too. Psychologist Carl Jung called this truth the most important dogma affirmed in the 20th century. Why? He saw Mary's Assumption as holding up for us human holiness, what it means to live in harmony: body, spirit, emotions, all this as we live aware of the fullness of God's presence. It is breathtaking. And it is meant for us too, here and hereafter. This year the Assumption falls on a Saturday and so is not a day of obligation. Mass will be at 10:00 a.m. A closing thought from a Trappist monk that comes to mind when I think of the Assumption: "What remains for us is to become who we are and to enjoy what we already possess." Awesome, yes?
The Introduction of the second edition of the Lectionary for Mass has been considerably expanded and opens with an extended theological reflection, based on conciliar and post-conciliar teachings, on the significance of the Word of God in liturgical celebration.
Following the example of Christ, who himself read and proclaimed the Scriptures, the liturgy is both founded on the Word of God and sustained by it.Through a variety of liturgical celebrations and other gatherings, the Word of God enriches the Church through the unfolding mystery of Christ in the liturgical year, while the liturgy itself enriches the word with new meaning and power.
In this process Christ's faithful respond together and as individuals through the liturgy to the Holy Spirit working within them.
Any reflection on the Word of God, as well as on the liturgy, must begin with Christ. It is he who speaks by his own mouth to the people and about whom Saint Augustine proclaims, The Gospel is the mouth of Christ.
Christ is present in his Word, joined with the Blessed Trinity, living and effective. (LFM 4).
In this way, the Sacred Scripture achieves its fullest expression in the Liturgy (LFM 4).
Both the Old and New Testaments proclaim the same mystery of Christ, as the New Testament lies hidden in the Old; the Old Testament comes fully to light in the New. (LFM 5).
Newsletter of the Committee on the Liturgy of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, Volume XXXIV, February-March 1998.
THEME: RICH AND POOR: Mae West is credited with the saying, I've been rich, and I've been poor. Rich is better. Most people would agree with this. It is better to have the means to pay for one's needs. It is better to be able to provide for ourselves and for another. It helps to have adequate resources to meet one's needs. But, if simple accumulation holds first place, we are in deep trouble. In today's readings, possessions are not the issue; our attitude toward them is. We need to be very, very clear about this.
This past week members of our parish staff and parishioners have spent much time and energy moving into the Parish Life Center. This is somewhat like moving into a new house, exciting on the one hand, but stressful and energy depleting on the other side as mountains of "stuff," countless items to be moved and located, accumulates all around office, etc. In the midst of all this "stuff in flux" a look at the this Sunday's readings offers a challenging perspective. In the Gospel passage Jesus warns "avoid greed in all its forms." Greed, or avarice as it is also named, destroys the spirit, robs us of freedom and the capacity for joy. It is truly a deadly sin.
Greed adversely affects so many in varying ways and dimensions. The message of a retreat presenter heard years ago has reminded me -"Greed is often manifested simply in wanting more and more and more, gradually accumulating more and more possessions. In contrast, the Gospel perspective of Jesus Christ proposes a spirituality of subtraction -letting go more and more in order to "grow rich in the sight of God." (Lk 12:21). However, many find it almost impossible to reverse the trends of our society and culture toward accumulating more and more, unless we connect with other Christians and support one another toward becoming a stewardship community. The following commentary on this Sunday's readings presents well the qualities and challenges toward becoming a stewarding community.
The parable presents an opportunity to talk about stewardship, to help people have more by desiring less, to impart a basic understanding that whatever belongs to God and whatever God chooses to share with people is offered so that people may in turn share with each other. Stewardship is not "a once-a-year program in which congregations build their budgets and solicit their members for money, time and talent" ("Living in the Household of God," Paul M. Diettrich, Transformation III, 2, 1996). In this understanding, stewardship gets confused with finances and makes stewardship something a person does rather than who a person is.
Furthermore, it raises limited funds, is one-dimensional appealing mainly to checkbooks-and does not bring "a distinctive Christian stewarding community into being" (Diettrich).
The Greek word for stewardship, oikonomia, literally means the "the law of management of the household." It refers to the production, distribution, and consumption of the necessities of life. Thus, as Diettrich states, "God's law or rule for the household is the gospel of Jesus Christ. As those who have a common Lord, a common baptism, and a common faith, the church as household is to live according to God's promises and purposes." Later he adds, "A stewarding community is a community of overwhelming gratitude an overflowing generosity. Such a community lives according to God's economy-God's intent and power for life-rather than according to the materialistic norms of today's secularized North America culture." Luke said the same thing by narrating Jesus' telling of the parable of the rich farmer-fool.
In order to form a stewarding community, the basic attitude of limited material resources must be replaced with an attitude of abundance. If the rich farmer-fool had had an attitude of abundance, he would not have torn down his old barns and built new ones. He would have shared his wealth with the poor and still had plenty to satisfy his own needs. But when people assume a world of scarcity they become afraid, focus on their own survival, become selfish, competitive, and protective of their own interests. Instead of trusting in the God who takes care of the ravens and the wildflowers, they trust in their own power to guarantee their lives. (Markings-Thomas More Association)
1) Ecclesiastes 1, 2; 2, 21-23
2) Colossians 3, 1-5. 9-11
3) Luke 12, 13-21
Why bother?" The book of Ecclesiastes hold up a world view in which, "Vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!"(1) It would indeed be a depressing world if all there was to live for was "more of the same." But that is simply not the case. Because Christ has been raised from the dead, and "Since you have been raised up in company with Christ...."(2) there is a new life to look forward to. As a direct result of the possibility of eternal life opened up to us in Christ, our lives today, at this moment are more important than ever. The stewardship which we exercise has direct implications in eternity. We have been instructed to "build up the Kingdom of God." Our physical lives and our material possessions must be used to further our heavenly aspirations. We must "grow rich in the sight of God" through our use of this worlds riches in God's service.(3) Next Sunday the readings will be: 1)Wisdom 18, 6-9; 2)Hebrews 11, 1-2. 8-19; 3) Luke 12, 32-48.
