September 6, 1998Twenty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time |
The Liturgy of the Word for this Sunday gives to us a meditation on true discipleship, and what taking up the Cross means. This is not a new theme for St. Luke, having already been found in chapter 9, verse 23. The words of this section of the Gospel, composed of two short parables, are to be found only in St. Luke. The Church reminds us that these passages, like the rest of Holy Scripture, is inspired by the Holy Spirit. These particular passages seem to be a mixture of the words of Jesus himself, and are strong, and remind us that the following of Christ in our daily lives truly has to be non-compromising. It is not a "more or less" or "mostly" proposition. The words "turning his back" do not mean a refusal of family or fraternal love (which would be the narrow sense of the word "turning" [or "hate" in another translation], but they do mean a sense of priority. The love of Christ must be there first, and the true source for all other affections and relational ties we feel and live with. This was a stark reality for the early Church, when followers of Christ found themselves having to choose between Christ and their earlier communities of worship (the synagogue), and between Christ and worship of Roman gods. And, the choice of worship was bound up inseparably with family and society. In the Liturgical Year we find that "In our civilization, which is still somewhat Christian, the obligation of separation of oneself even from one's family rarely occurs, but it was a frequent occurrence for the Christians of Luke's day who met with opposition from their own kin when they embraced Christianity and put aside Jewish or pagan practices.. Christianity is not a philosophy but a life to be lived. There can be no compromise; one must walk in Christ's steps unconditionally, not for a moment or a day, but for a lifetime. Perhaps the Gospel this weekend can be a sort of "examination of conscience" for us, in which we ask ourselves where we have compromised ourselves in living out our Faith in the world today. If we want to be strong when the moments of great challenge come along, the we need to pray for the grace to be strong even in the seemingly inconsequential moments of life. If we are strong and serene in the little moments and challenges, then we will be ready for any test that comes our way.
This Sunday's Gospel offers a challenging theme regarding the "cost of discipleship." In the Gospel reading it is evident that Jesus does not want his followers to take discipleship lightly. Using analogies, the man building a tower and a king going into battle, Jesus points out the prudence and wisdom that is needed to decide to be a disciple. We must be willing to so order our priorities that commitment to Jesus, both to his message and to his mission, comes first, and this is not to be just an intellectual assent, but renewed and lived out in daily life. This Gospel theme is especially relevant in our times wherein the secular gospel and religious indifferentism (i.e. "it doesn't matter"-moral issues, Sunday Mass worship, etc.) have made such inroads in people's lives. To many observers the current public debate over honesty and integrity of elected officials is a sign of this growing religious indifferentism. Apparently, at least according to some polls. As long as the economy is good and people are enjoying prosperity, it matters less about how elected officials conduct their lives or inspire confidence and trust regarding honesty and integrity. In light of all this, the following commentary on this Sunday's Gospel may be helpful.
"It is also clear that Jesus led his disciples to a gradual understanding of what is meant to be his follower. At their initial calling they were simply not yet prepared to understand, much less to accept, the full implications of discipleship. And so through teaching and through signs, Jesus continued the task of broadening their horizons about the nature of God's kingdom and about the obstacles one can expect to encounter along the road that leads to that promised kingdom. It is not an easy road nor can one travel it without paying a price.
In today's gospel selection Jesus speaks about the cost of discipleship. The essential element in Christian discipleship is that continued commitment to Jesus, both to his message and to his mission. Nothing and no one can be allowed to come between the disciple and this commitment. Family, possessions, even love of life itself must all take second place. Jesus reminds his would be followers that this is the price they must be willing to pay if they are to follow him with truly sincere and dedicated hearts. This is the cost of discipleship.
For you and me, here and now, today, being a follower of Jesus demands same kind of response, the same kind of willingness to endure pain, rejection, misunderstanding, even separation from loved ones, for the sake of the gospel. Jesus asks us to commit ourselves to him and his message without fearing the cost. For if we do fear the cost, is we are afraid to take the risk of letting go, then our life is like an unopened gift; we will never know its true value. Jesus took on the fraility of human flesh precisely I order to show us how to let go of it.
Jesus words might seem too harsh, too demanding, too pessimistic. Yet I think that he goes to such extremes in order to make us realize our commitment to him must be an ongoing activity. Being a Christian is not something automatic, not some kind of fringe benefit that comes with our baptism. Rather, Christian discipleship is an ongoing commitment which we must renew every moment of every day, a continuing challenge demanding a continued response throughout our lives. Indeed, each day we must answer again that same critical question: Are we willing to pay the cost of discipleship?
Practically speaking, a note to lectors: if you have completed your "tour of duty" as a lector this year and still have the Workbook for Lectors, please return it (to Sr. Mary Ellen via check-in room or front desk or her office) for the new lectors coming aboard with this schedule.
Schedule time! The new schedules are in the check-in room. The new roster starts next weekend, so please do pick up yours very soon. If you are affected by an error in the schedule, please alert Sr. Mary Ellen - sincere thanks to those who have already done this. May God be glorified in our faithfulness to the "small" things in life.
1) Wisdom 9, 13-18
2) Philemon 9-10. 12-17
3) Luke 14, 25-33
"And scarce do we guess the things of earth, and what is within our grasp we find with difficulty; but when things are in heaven, who can search them out?"(1) In traveling in other countries, one of the more confusing things is to keep straight the differences in currencies. One finds oneself thinking silly things like "how much is that in real money?" It is important to remember that though each of us may travel the world for some long number of days, we have our citizenship in heaven, and the Kingdom is our home. The "real money" for us is that backed by the grace of God.
Jesus sounds harsh when he says, "If anyone comes to me without turning his back on his father and mother, his wife and his children, his brothers and sisters, indeed his very self, he cannot be my follower."(3) But what is it that gives value to all of our relationships with one another if not our relationship with God? Which of us is truly "self-made?" The many gifts God has given to us are to help us in building up the kingdom. When we are good stewards of God's many gifts all other relationships prosper as well.
Next Sunday the reading's will be: 1) Exodus 32, 7-11. 13-14; 2) 1 Timothy 1, 12-17; 3) Luke 15, 1-32.
In the second reading St. Paul writes, "I, Paul, ambassador of Christ and now a prisoner for him, ... am sending [Philemon] to you and that means I am sending my heart. ... Welcome him as you would me" (Philemon 9,17).
This passage from St. Paul is remarkable in its implications. Paul is asking a master to receive back someone who was previously his slave as "a beloved brother."
On the one hand, this request calls for boldness on the part of Paul to even dare to assume that he could act so contrary to the accepted norms of the time, and, on the other, a dramatic leap of faith and change of attitude on the part of that master who once treated the fellow as a slave and now is asked to interact with him as his own kin.
Can you imagine the uproar this could have caused?
This same scenario was played out in the life of Francis of Assisi. In the early stages of his conversion he became aware of real obstacle to his growth: he hated lepers! They stank. They were ugly. They were the scourge of society. They were outcasts. What was bitterness, however, turned into sweetness one day when, while traveling along a road on his merry way, he came face to face with (ugh!) a leper. He could've ignored the horrible, rotting man, and passed right by him; but instead he got off the high horse of his pride and prejudice and kissed the leper.
Then what happened? The leper kissed him back! And at that moment Francis had the most profound, unexpected experience of the love of God coming to him through that leper. He broke through his barrier to conversion and came to interact with lepers as communicators of God's lavish goodness and teachers of the Lord's mercy.
This experience of accepting a slave as a brother or a leper as a prophet is not tied to past ages. It happened even today in our neighborhood.
There is all around us anger and fear, prejudice and discrimination, avoidance and judgment toward those of a different color or different culture than our own.
Oh, sometimes it's so subtle, so seemingly charitable, so properly righteous. Nonetheless, it's wrong, it's sinful, it's an hindrance to holiness.
You tell me this doesn't exist? Well, I've personally experienced the contrary. Healthy race relations is one of the biggest needs of our time and our locality. What shall we do about it?
Father Benet OFM
The responsorial psalm (LFM 21), also called the gradual, is an "integral part of the liturgy of the word." The Introduction repeats the Council's call that pastors diligently communicate the importance of the Psalms in the life of the Church and her liturgy. The Introduction summarizes the ways in which the responsorial psalm may be proclaimed, noting that "the singing of the psalm, or even of the response alone, is a great help toward understanding and meditating on the psalm's spiritual meaning." Such singing should be fostered by "every means available in each individual culture." The responsorial psalm is to be sung or recited by the psalmist.
The Introduction sees the Creed (LFM 29) as a response to the Word of God. "Before beginning to celebrate in the Eucharist the mystery of faith," the Creed calls to mind "the rule of faith in a formulary approved by the Church" (LFM 30). The prayer of the Faithful or Universal Prayer is likewise, in a certain sense, a response to the Word of God, interceding "for the needs of the universal Church and the local community, for the salvation of the world and those oppressed by any burden, and for special categories of people." The Introduction notes that "For the prayer of the faithful the celebrant presides at the chair and the intentions are announced at the ambo."
Newsletter of the Committee on the Liturgy of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, Volume XXXIV, February-March 1998.
On September 5th we honor the loving memory of MOTHER TERESA OF CALCUTTA who went on to eternal life on this day one year ago after a long saintly life.
O Heavenly Father,
we praise and thank you
for the life of Mother Teresa
and her extraordinary service of love,
especially to the poor, the unwanted,
the sick and the dying.
On this, the first year
anniversary of her death,
we ask you, beloved Father,
to flood our lives with the
light and spirit of Christ.
Allow us to always light the
way for others with the
same deep faith and love
that Mother Teresa showed.
Let our actions resemble
her generous and humble ways.
May she rejoice forever in
the Light of Your Love for
she dedicated herself
unselfishly in the service of
Your Holy Name. Amen.
The word "Church" means convocation. It specifies the assembly of the people whom God's Word convokes or gathers together. They form the People of God who gather with the Risen Lord at their head. They are nourished with the Body and Blood of Christ, the Eucharist, to be formed into the visible Body of Christ as the means of salvation for humankind. This is the "narrow gate" by which mankind comes into communion with God. Another word that Catholics use for this assembly is "Mass." This word comes from the Latin "Ite, missa est" of the dismissal rite and refers to "those whom are sent." From the assembly we are sent forth to bring the good news of salvation to others. We give thanks to God for being chosen for this assignment.
In pre-exilic Judaism every 50th year was a jubilee year, or year of remission in which debts were pardoned and slaves freed. After the exile and until 70 A.D., the Jews continued to hold a sabbatical year in which debts to fellow Jews were remitted. The medieval popes came to apply such a custom spiritually, decreeing a holy year or jubilee, beginning and ending with special sacred ceremonies, which was intended to improve the religious life of the faithful. The first holy year in 1300 began in the evening on December 24-25. In 1342 Clement VI decreed a jubilee every 50 years. In 1470 Paul II reduced the time to 25 years and so this custom has remained. In 1500 Alexander VI prescribed the ceremonies that are observed essentially even today; the Pope opens the holy door of St. Peters's. At the end of the holy year, the Porta Santa is again walled up.
With the coming of the millennium, this jubilee year will prove to be a very special holy year. The Church's hope is that all people will seek new ways in which to grow spiritually. Next week, we will offer several ways in which you can do something in preparation for the jubilee.
Reflections on Jesus, The Holy Spirit, and the Father, by Pope John Paul II. A Diversity of Gifts...All the members of the people of God-clergy, men and women religious, the lay faithful-are laborers in the vineyard...Every one of us possessing charisms and ministries, diverse yet complementary, works in the one and the same vineyard of the Lord. Simply in being Christians, even before actually doing the works of a Christian, all are branches of the one fruitful vine which is Christ. All are living members of the one Body of the Lord built up through the power of the Spirit...
The states of life, by being ordered one to the other, are thus bound together among themselves. They all share in a deeply basic meaning: that of being the manner of living out the commonly shared Christian dignity and the universal call to holiness in the perfection of love. They are different yet complementary in the sense that each of them has a basic and unmistakable character which sets each apart, while at the same time each of them is seen in relation to the other and placed at each other's service.
Thus the lay state of life has its distinctive feature in its secular character. It fulfills an ecclesial service in bearing witness and, in its own way, recalling for priests [and] women and men religious the significance of the earthly and temporal realities in the [saving] plan of God. In turn, the ministerial priesthood represents, in different times and places, the permanent guarantee of the sacramental presence of Christ the Redeemer. The religious state bears witness to the...straining towards the Kingdom of God that is prefigured and in some way anticipated and experienced even now through the vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience.
All the states of life, whether taken collectively or individually in relation to the others, are at the service of the Church's growth. While different in expression they are deeply united in the Church's mystery of communion and are dynamically coordinated in its unique mission. Thus in the diversity of the states of life and the variety of vocations this same unique mystery of the Church reveals and experiences anew the infinite richness of the mystery of Jesus Christ. [CL n.55]
THESE YEARS OF PREPARATION are similar to being on a three year retreat or journey. They are to be a time of individual and communal renewal. It is a time to root ourselves in Jesus Christ, build faith sharing communities and work with new energy to care for the world - God's creation. It is an invitation to experience a new springtime of Christianity. We encourage you to take advantage of the many opportunities before you; both here at St. Pius X Church and beyond to deepen your relationship with Jesus and enter the next millennium with a renewed spirit!
Lord Jesus Christ,
it is the Christian religion based on Your teachings
that freed work from its degrading character
and made it into something noble Ñ
so much so that is has become associated
with the so-called work-ethic,
symbolized by St. Paul's practical principle:
"If anyone will not work, let him not eat!"
Let me realize that Christians work
in imitation of You and the Father
in accord with Your words:
"My Father has been working till now and I work."
By work we build up the world,
as mentioned by the lines of a classic poem:
"God bless them! for their swarthy hands
have wrought the glory of our lands."
Let me also understand that work is good
because it builds uo Your Body in the world
until Your second coming in glory.
Vatican II the Subject of PBS Special On Friday, September 18 (check local listings for time), the Public Broadcasting System will present Reflections on Vatican II," a two-hour documentary that chronicles the history and lasting effects of the Second Vatican Council on the Catholic Church and the world at large.
Distributed by RCL * Resources for Christian Living, the documentary was over three years in the making and will offer viewers an exceptional inside look at the council. Told by those who were actually present, great pains were taken to insure the story unfolds without promoting one editorial point of view. From the dazzling opening procession to the final heartfelt "Amen," the story is monumental-the who, why, where, and how the bishops of the world undertook the most massive reform of the Church since Constantine in 313A.D.
For those Catholics who remember the council "Reflections on Vatican II" will shed light on why changes came so swiftly. And for those younger Catholics, it will offer an eye-opening historical perspective. Vatican II changed the way people thought of themselves as Roman Catholics. Some feel the council didn't go far enough. Others feel it went way too far. On September 18, on PBS, "Reflections on Vatican II" illuminates the debate and explains the consequences of this extraordinary event in Church and world history.
