August 16, 1998Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time |
All three readings in the Roman Lectionary for this Sunday have a common theme, and that does not happen very often. The letter to the Hebrews, the Gospel, and the first reading all "fit together" in that they lead us to reflect on what being a disciple of Christ can mean, and what being true to God's call in our lives can lead to.
The Gospel was written at the time when the words of Jesus had particular meaning: Jewish Christians were being expelled from the synagogues, and Christians in Rome had already begun to be persecuted under the Emperor Nero. Thus, followers of Christ were finding that there was a cost to discipleship, which is seen again and again over the course of the centuries.
Being true to the teaching of Christ as handed on by our Church, and keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, as Hebrews states, can at times mean that one is at variance with some close people in our lives. Christianity in Roman times often divided families. In the end, it is our loyalty to God and His call which is what counts, as Jeremiah found.
The Gospels are not all destined to make us "feel good," but to challenge us with living the Gospel in its fullness. If we take a stand based on our Church's teaching on a given moral or social issue (the sanctity of life, for example) I can guarantee that we will find ourselves at odds with people whom we do have relationship with.
Yet, do we change our beliefs simply because of what others will think? We may very well experience what the early Church did. Yet, with the grace of Christ and his power and strength, we are called to stand firm.
The mystery of the Church exists in dual realities. She is both human and divine, a visible reality imbued with an even stronger invisible one, a structured society and the mystical Body of Christ, an earthly dwelling of the Holy Spirit and a celestial palace of the King of Kings, an object of scorn by some and still the Bride of Christ. A sign for the world to have hope in salvation and a refuge for wanderers driven from their homeland. The word "mystery" in its theological meaning is not a puzzle or problem to be solved but a word that includes the many realities of the Church's existence. It means that there is more to it than what meets the eye, that there is always more to be known than we can learn in this lifetime. The mystery of the Church draws us into the mystery of God. We pause in awe and give thanks and praise!
Stewardship Prayer: Lord God, you alone are the source of every good gift. We praise you and we thank you for your great power and your tender, faithful love. In the name and spirit of Jesus, we commit ourselves to be good stewards of the gifts entrusted to us, to share our time, our talent, our material gifts as an outward sign of the treasure we hold in Jesus.
Stewardship Reflection: In today's second reading, St. Paul encourages us not to grow weary or lose heart, but to persevere in following Jesus. Our willingness to give ourselves, even in the face of conflict and division, is one way to measure our discipleship.
We are approaching the beginning of the third millennium since the incarnation, when the Word became flesh (Jn 1:14). Pope John Paul II has written an apostolic letter on the Coming of the Third Millennium (Tertio Millennio Adveniente), inviting the whole Church to mark this momentous anniversary with renewed faith and joy.
Since the beginning of his pontificate, he has spoken of the significance of the year 2000 and of the opportunity and challenge it brings us, the people of God, to renew our conversion and faith, to deepen our relationship with God, to listen more sensitively to the voice of the Spirit, to appreciate more fully God's mercy and "plan of loving goodness," to grow in the faith of the Church, and to live more actively as disciples of Jesus, loving and serving God and our neighbor.
PRECIOUS MEMORIES You can't buy precious memories, With silver or with gold, They come to us without a price As the years of life unfold.
I've longed for many things in life, Some with hidden thorns of pain. Knowing what was best for me, God sent both sunshine and rain.
Hard times teach us to appreciate Good times when they come along, If all of life was fun and pleasure, How could we ever grow strong?
God in His infinite wisdom Has given me many good years, Taught me to suffer with others, To feel their sorrows and tears.
So if you want precious memories As the years of life unfold, Learn how to love one another, It's worth more than silver or gold.
--- Omega Watson Wagner
Such a journey begins by listening to God's Word. Its goal is then made clear: to conform our lives to what we celebrate and, in turn, to bring to the liturgy all that we do in life.
In the hearing of God's word the Church is built up. In the signs of the liturgical celebration, God's wonderful, past works in the history of salvation are presented anew as mysterious realities. God in response makes use of the faithful to proclaim his word and to glorify his name among the nations. Whenever, therefore, the Church, gathered by the Holy Spirit for liturgical celebration, announces and proclaims the word of God, she is aware of being a new people in whom the covenant made in the past is perfected and fulfilled.
Baptism and confirmation in the Spirit have made all Christ's faithful into messengers of God's word because of the grace of hearing they have received. All must therefore be the bearers of the same word in the Church and in the world, at least by the witness of their lives. The word of God proclaimed in the celebration of the sacred mysteries does not only address present conditions but looks back to the meaning of past events and forward to what is yet to come.
Thus God's word shows us what we should hope for with such a longing that in this changing world our hearts will be set on the place where our true joys are found (LFM 19).
Newsletter of the Committee on the Liturgy of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, Volume XXXIV, February-March 1998.
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.
Dar de comer al hambriento
Dar de beber al sediento
Dar alojamiento a los que no tienen hogar
Vestir al Desnudo
Visitar a los enfermos
Visitar a los encarcelados
Enterrar a los muertos
Celebrate 2000!...Reflections on Jesus, The Holy Spirit, and the Father, by Pope John Paul II...We Cannot Remain In Isolation...A member of the lay faithful "can never remain in isolation from the community, but must live in a continual interaction with others, with a lively sense of fellowship, rejoicing in an equal dignity and common commitment to bring to fruition the immense treasure that each has inherited. The Spirit of the Lord gives a vast variety of charisms, inviting people to assume different ministries and forms of service and reminding them, as He reminds all people in their relationship in the Church, that what distinguishes persons is not an increase in dignity, but a special and complementary capacity for service...Thus, the charisms, the ministries, the different forms of service exercised by the lay faithful exist in communion and on behalf of communion. They are treasures that complement one another for the good of all and are under the wise guidance of their pastors..."
So as to render thanks to God for the great gift of Church communion-which is the reflection in time of the eternal and ineffable communion of the love of God, Three in One-we once again consider Jesus' words: "I am the vine, you are the branches" (Jn 15:5). The awareness of the gift ought to be accompanied by a strong sense of responsibility for its use: it is, in fact, a gift that, like the talent of the Gospel parable, must be put to work in the life of ever- increasing communion.
To be responsible for the gift of communion means, first of all, to be committed to overcoming each temptation to division and opposition that works against the Christian life with its responsibility in the apostolate. The cry of St. Paul continues to resound as a reproach to those who are wounding the Body of Christ: "What I mean is that each one of you says, 'I belong to Paul,' or ... 'I belong to Cephas,' or 'I belong to Christ.' Is Christ divided?" (1 Cor 1:12-13).
No, rather let these words of the Apostle sound a persuasive call: "I appeal to you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree and that there be no dissensions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment" (1 Cor 1:10). Thus the life of Church communion will become a sign for all the world and a compelling force that will lead persons to faith in Christ: "That they may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me" (see John 17:21). In such a way communion leads to mission, and mission itself to communion. [CL n. 20]
This Gospel verse "to light a fire on earth," and "baptism to receive" connects us to Jesus farewell promise that he would not leave us orphans but that his disciples would be baptized with fire and the Holy Spirit. "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witness...to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8).
In the second reading this Sunday the inspired author gives us another perspective - "Since we for our part are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every encumbrance of sin which clings to us and persevere in running the race which lies ahead; let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, who inspires and perfects our faith." (Heb 12:1)
To keep our eyes focused on Jesus we need the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Last Sunday I spoke about acquiring a "focused desire" for the Holy Spirit. "A thousand little decisions each day shape our lives into something beautiful or unbeautiful. Life involves both yes and no, but all of our good decisions involve focused desire." (A Pilgrim's Tale, Thomas Crutcher).
We receive the Holy Spirit in baptism and this indwelling presence is strengthened and more fully released through the sacrament of Confirmation. Yet as our life unfolds in time and life's changing circumstances, it is essential that we continue to grow is a conscious desire for the felt presence of the Holy Spirit. Our realization of the power and manifestation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is very much related to our conscious desire for such overshadowing of the Holy Spirit. The following excerpt from a talk given by Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa (Official Preacher to the Papal Household) expresses well this need for a focused desire for the intercession of the Holy Spirit toward the renewal of the Church in our times. "Pope John Paul II very often refers to a quotation from a letter he wrote in 1981 on the sixteenth hundredth anniversary of the ecumenical council of Constantinople. That was the Council, which proclaimed the divinity of the Holy Spirit. In his letter, the Pope said. 'The renewal of the church providentially started and outlined by the Vatican Council cannot be fulfilled without the Holy Spirit. That means without his help and his life.' I am convinced that there is a tremendous truth in this statement. The renewal of the Church outlined by the Vatican Council cannot be achieved, put into practice, without the intervention of the Holy Spirit.
This is a new, dramatic, intervention of the Holy Spirit, not just a normal common one; in fact, it is a new Pentecost. Pope John XXIII dared to ask for a new Pentecost, and I am convinced that God answered his prayer in that there is a new Pentecost going on in the Church. It's up to us to choose whether we want to be among the people who at this first Pentecost said, 'Oh, let them alone. They have drunk too much wine.' Or, are we going to be among the people who marveled and said, 'What is this, this new truth? We listened. We heard them in our own language proclaiming the marvels of God.'
Fire has great power. It can destroy and it can create. Wheat and water, when exposed to fire, become bread. Clay when fired becomes pottery. Wood when burned gives warmth on a cold night. Fire can also kill. Jesus knew His message was like fire. It would warm and nourish us, but it would also lead to conflict and the dissolution of relationships. It is never to be taken for granted nor left unattended in our hearts.
Jesus gave up His body on the Cross for love of you that He may give His body to you in the Holy Eucharist, making Himself one with you forever in everlasting glory. Like wheat which is beaten, broken and crushed before it becomes bread, Jesus was willing to be beaten, broken and crushed in His passion that He may become for us the "Living Bread come down from heaven." Jesus continues to immolate Himself in sacrificial love for us in the Holy Eucharist. In the Eucharist, Jesus is the "Immaculate Victim," the Sacrificial Lamb. Does the sacrifice of spending one hour with Him even begin to compare to the sacrifice that He has made and continues to make for love of us in the Blessed Sacrament?
The fact that in the fullness of time the Eternal Word took on the condition of a creature gives a unique cosmic value to the event which took place in Bethlehem two thousand years ago. Thanks to the Word, the world of creatures appears as a "cosmos", an ordered universe. And it is the same Word who, by taking flesh, renews the cosmic order of creation.
- Pope John Paul II
A couple of years ago we had Fr. Dick Bayuk living here for ten months. He introduced me to the "Catholic Key", which is the Diocesan paper for Kansas City, MO. I find it very informative, containing information about the Church that I do not find in the Sunday Visitor or the St. Louis Review. One article in the August 2nd edition was concerned with a follow up on the Holy Father's apostolic letter of July 7th, "Dies Domini." (i.e. The Day of the Lord). Pope John Paul said that the faithful should view Sunday worship at Mass as central to the meaning of Sunday. The study of worldwide Mass attendance is revealing.
Bishop Piero Marini, the papal master of liturgical ceremonies, observed that where Catholics are a small minority of the general population, and communities are tightly woven, Mass attendance is much higher than in places where Catholics dominate. In Poland, the Holy Father's own country, 95.5% of the population is Catholic. There is a ratio of priest to people there of 1/1400. Yet only 33% of the people attend Sunday Mass regularly, which they interpret coincidentally as 2-3 times per month, but not every Sunday. The Polish people attend Christmas and Easter, however, at the rate of 97%.
In Italy, the priest-people ration is 1/995, with 97.2% of the population being Catholic at least by Baptism. The regular Mass attendance is 30%. Other countries listed are as follows:
(Regular attendance)
Ireland..........60-65%
Peru...................37%
El Salvador........30%
S. Korea............30%
United States....43%
The Holy Father, speaking on his letter five days later, said:"...our lives in the era of technology risk becoming ever more anonymous and a function of the process of production." The New American Catechism lists Sunday obligation as the fourth of the six precepts of the Church (2043). In section 2192 it also details why Sunday is a day of obligation, premier among the Holy Days of the Church.
Father Bob
