August 9, 1998Ninteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time |
The Letter to the Hebrews finds a place in the Mass for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time. It is not used with great frequency. However, it is one of the most truly beautiful and powerful Epistles in the Old Testament. In its earlier history, the letter has been ascribed to St. Paul. However, later study and scholarship revealed a style and content that is not like St. Paul in any way. For example, the Jerome Biblical Commentary notes that 'The principal arguments against Pauline authorship are the differences of vocabulary and style from those of Paul, the different structure of the epistle (the interweaving of doctrine and exhortation), the different manner of introducing Old Testament citations, and the author's usually observed rule of citing Scripture according to the Septuagint.' Nonetheless it is important to realize that it is an inspired work of Sacred Scripture and an important part of the Canon of the New Testament. The statements on Faith, especially this weekend are very powerful and important. It is sometimes called 'A Hymn to Faith.' Commenting on this passage, the DAYS OF THE LORD notes Faith...' cannot be reduced to an interior conviction, as it has so often been called. It allows one already to enter into possession of what is not yet possessed. It brings one into communion with invisible realities.' The Faith of Abraham and Sarah 'enabled them to hold fast to the realities yet to come, toward which they traveled confidently; nothing, not even death, could make them doubt the realibility of these things.' So, too, for us!! The Gospel is a continuation of the themes of last Sunday to always be prepared and ready to meet the Lord. One never knows when one's accounting will be called for. We must always be watchful.
The Catholic Church is to be sacrament for the world. This is the place that one comes to be touched by God, to hear, feel and see God's love in action. As the People of God, the Body of Christ, we make that love visible. As the world sees our love, care and concern for one another we make it possible for others to come to believe. This place can be intimidating if God's love can not be sensed in some fashion. It would be very sad to have a seeker come into our presence and go away sad and disheartened because he or she found that we are no different from the rest of the world. It only takes a spark. Will you be a spark of God's love?
Am I waiting for the 'right' time to become a good steward? Do I plan to share my time and talents 'later?' Today's Gospel warns those who are procrastinating about stewardship to be prepared - 'at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.'
OBLIGATION? Why is the obligation to participate at Mass waived on certain holy days? Determining which holy days are bound by which rules can be confusing. Simply put, there are six holy days of obligation for most of the dioceses of the United States:Christmas, Mary, Mother of God, Ascension, Assumption, All Saints, and Immaculate Conception.
But there are exceptions to the rules. When August 15, November 1 or January 1 fall on a Saturday or a Monday, the obligation to attend Mass is no longer in force. The feast remains a significant day in the life of the church, but the obligation to participate at Mass is gone. This policy has been approved by the bishops of the United States and confirmed by the Vatican; it went into effect on January 1, 1993.
There are several reasons the bishops chose to remove the obligation to attend Mass on these three holy days. Because of the popularity of vigil or anticipated masses, there is often widespread confusion about which Mass satisfies which obligation when holy days fall on a Monday or Saturday. Furthermore, it is difficult to prepare and celebrate well two major feasts back to back. In areas where there is a limited number of clergy, the logistics of scheduling become even more of a problem. Finally, it was noted that common practice was to attend either the Sunday celebration or the holy day Mass, but not both.
The observance of holy days is different in different countries.
In today's Gospel reading from Luke, we hear these words: "It has pleased your Father to give you the kingdom. Sell what you have and give alms. Get purses for yourselves that do not wear out, a neverfailing treasure with the Lord which no thief comes near nor no moth destroys. Wherever your treasure lies, your heart will be." In addressing the issue of poverty in North Carolina, the bishops' pastoral advises us to overcome the "confusion and disunity" that appears to so many of us at this time and to "respond with boldness." While this may not mean selling all we have, we must find that "purse that will not wear out" which, for Jesus, is the heart itself. Then we can summon the strength and conviction to meet the needs of the poor and to rely on God's promise to dwell with us as we "act justly with one another."
The Introduction envisions the liturgy as a dialogue between God and his people. God speaks his word and 'expects a response.' (LFM 6) The response he seeks is one 'of listening and adoring. . .in Spirit and in truth' (John 4:23), expressed by actions, gestures, and words.
What gives these ritual expressions their power? While it is true that actions such as processions, posture, or gestures and words such as 'Thanks be to God,' or 'Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ' derive some of their meaning from social experience, the Introduction notes that these rites 'derive their full meaning' from the word they proclaim and from the economy of salvation to which they refer.
Thus, participation is fostered primarily by an internal factor: the conversion of heart which each Christian experiences when listening to the word and striving to commit to Christ Jesus. The Introduction thus describes a spiral pattern through which all may ascend in holiness.
Newsletter of the Committee on the Liturgy of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, Volume XXXIV, February-March 1998.
According to legend, the crucifixion of Jesus took place 40 days after his transfiguration. And so September 14, the feast of the Holy Cross, falls 40 days after August 6, the feast of the Transfiguration. (This is also why we hear the gospel story of the transfiguration early in Lent.)
The height of late summer's fruitfulness and abundance can offer us a vision of the glory of our Creator. At this season we recall two high places - Mount Tabor and Mount Calvary - each of which, in tremendous contrast, offers us true images of the glory of Christ.
During these 40 days, gardens overflow with fruits, vegetables, flowers and herbs. In harmony with the earth's abundance, the Church's calendar overflows with many sacred days, days to give thanks for the gifts that "earth has given and human hands have made."
The Blessed Virgin Mary's Assumption (August 15) and Birth (September 8) are celebrated during these weeks. We honor Mary as Our Lady of the harvest, as the Star of the Sea, as the Queen of Creation, and also, just after Holy Cross Day, as Our Lady of Sorrows.
The season can be marked by violent storms and dangerous heat, and the Church calendar reflects the potentially deadly weather. On August 10 we remember the fiery martyrdom of the deacon Lawrence. On August 24 we remember the flaying of the apostle Bartholomew. On August 29 we remember the beheading of John the Baptist. At the beginning of summer we rejoiced in John's birth. Now, as summer wanes, we mourn his death.
Holy Cross Day, September 14, is a favorite feast among Ethiopian Christians. Outdoors the family sets up the cross and ornaments it with herbs and flowers and even lamps - a bit like a Christmas tree. People sing and dance around their "tree of life," as if they were once again in paradise. But they do not eat. Holy Cross Day, like Good Friday, is a day of fasting. Eating got us into trouble in Eden, and so people fast to show God that they really don't want to make the same mistake twice!
Like Lent's 40 days, late summer is a customary time of fasting and plain living. Especially in times past, all hands were needed for bringing in the harvest, and so fancy meals were out of the question. By a fine coincidence, we observe our national day in honor of labor during these days. For the Church, communal labor and communal fasting are sacred signs, images of the Church working together as the one body of Christ.
Just as Lent leads to Easter and the Passover of the Lord, the late summer 40 days can lead to a kind of "passing over." We pass from the lazy days of summer into the lively days of autumn, a season that can be for us a time of renewal - accomplished in the transfiguring glory of the cross.
THEME: FAITH: Faith is rooted in the heart. It moves on a strong current of trust. In the inelegant words of Yogi Berra, "Someday it wouldn't hurt to remember stuff like this." Well, this is the day we're called to remember.
NINETEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
1) Wisdom 18, 6-9
2) Hebrews 11, 1-2. 8-19
3) Luke 12, 32-48
"Faith is confident assurance concerning what we hope for, and conviction about things we do not see."(2) The confidence of faith allows us to be more concerned with the things of heaven than we are with the things of earth. Our greatest fear is no longer "what am I to eat?" or "where am I to live?" "what am I to wear?" Christians take the long view. Christians see the larger picture. There is no earthly treasure that we can truly possess. If we stock up on gold or silver, or if we corner the market in diamonds, the only thing that we can be certain of is that one day we will be survived by our possessions. God, silver and diamonds are already dust, but on our own we only turn to dust ourselves.
Jesus reminds us: "Wherever your treasure lies, there your heart will be."(3) If our treasure is just so much dust, our hearts will be lost. If our treasure is a "never-failing treasure with the Lord which no thief comes near nor any moth destroys,"(3) then the future looks bright. The long view is a view toward eternal life. The larger picture is our citizenship in heaven. Enjoy the world--it is a gift. Use the world--you can do much good, but do not be possessed by your possesssions.
Next Sunday the reading's will be: 1)Jeremiah 38, 4-6. 8-10; 2)Hebrews 12, 1-4; 3)Luke 12, 49-53.
I would like to reflect on a pastoral letter by Cardinal Roger Mahoney, Archbishop of Los Angeles, entitled 'Gather Faithfully Together: A Guide for Sunday Mass.' The archbishop exhorts his people to reflect on the Sunday Eucharist as a preparation for the celebration of the new millennium. His hope is that a concentrated effort to strengthen Sunday liturgy will renew every aspect of our Church life. The archbishop continues by challenging all baptized Catholics to think of our own involvement in the Eucharist as fulfilling the vision of the Second Vatican Council: 'full, conscious, and active participation by all the faithful' is the 'right and the duty' of all Catholics because of their Baptism. It has taken more than three decades for those profound insights to take hold. Most of us were satisfied to look for something less than what was intended. We were happy when there was good singing, and when the lector read well and the priest preached well. But good music and good liturgical ministries are not enough. You who are baptized have duties that are wrapped up in that kind of participation that Vatican II called 'full, conscious, and active.'
Full Participation - 'This attitude brings us to the liturgy, body and soul, with all our might. Full participation means that a baptized person does not mentally weave in and out of the liturgy. Our duty is not just to be present; our duty is to be fully present. The songs are for singing, the Scriptures for listening, the silence for reflecting, the intercessions for pleading, the Eucharistic prayer for immense thanksgiving, the Communion for every kind of hunger and thirst satisfied in partaking together of the Body and Blood of Christ and the dismissal for going out to love the world the way God does.
How can I work on 'full participation' at Sunday Mass? [More to come on 'conscious participation and active participation' later.]
O Jesus, our good Shepherd, bless all our parishes with numerous priests, deacons, men and women in religious life, consecrated laity and missionaries, according to the needs of the entire world, which You love and wish to save. We especially entrust our community to You; grant us the spirit of the first Christians, so that we may be a cenacle of prayer, in living acceptance of the Holy Spirit and His gifts. Assist our pastors and all who live a consecrated life. Guide the steps of those who have responded generously to Your call and are preparing to receive holy orders or to profess the evangelical counsels. Look with love on so many well-disposed young people and call them to follow You. Help them to understand that in You alone can they attain complete fulfillment. To this end we call on the powerful intercession of Mary, Mother and model of all vocations. We beseech You to sustain our faith with the certainty that the Father will grant what You have commanded us to ask. Amen.
Pope John Paul II
Jesus tells His disciples - and us - that "it has pleased the Father to give you the kingdom." Yet often we look around us and ask ourselves where this kingdom is. Our world shows few signs of its presence. And so we tend to sit and wait, expecting that God will get around to setting up His kingdom sooner or later, either in this world or the next.
The Father has given us a kingdom, but it is not one ready-made, for which we have to do nothing. Rather He has entrusted the Kingdom - and its building - to us. It is our placing the things of God ahead of the things of this world that lays the foundation. It is our effort to be of service to others which constructs the buildings. It is by our efforts, as individuals and as members of the Church community, that God's work is done.
When we do not experience God's kingdom in the world, we should not wonder why God is sleeping on the job. We should, on the other hand, ask ourselves what we should be doing to assist in bringing that kingdom into existence.
Father Roger
