October 11, 1998Twenty Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time |
The Gospel this Sunday and the first reading from the second book of Kings are tied very closely together in that both relate the story of healing of lepers, and the response of those who were healed. Another significant parallel between the First Reading and the Gospel is that the ones who were cleaned were not members of the chosen people, but were rather foreigners or Gentiles. The point of that is that Jesus' mission would be to all of the world, that salvation is universal. In addition, the first reading is tied very closely with the Sacrament of Baptism, and how it cleanses us from original sin and personal sin. The plunging into the Jordan was seen by the Fathers of the Church as a foreshadowing of the plunging into the waters of Baptism three times for Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Gospel can often be heard at Masses offered with the theme of Thanksgiving or perhaps even Thanksgiving Day in this country. How often we run to the Lord in time of crisis, but how often we forget to say thank you afterward. If our lives were framed each day by the prayer of gratitude, what a different perspective we could have! We would see that what God has given us, and what we have to be thankful for far outweigh the difficulties and challenges of life. I would like to share a few words from the Navarre Bible Commentary on these passages from the Gospel:
...However, only one of them, the Samaritan who returns praising God and showing his gratitude for the miracle, is given a much greater gift than the cure of leprosy. Jesus says as much: Your faith has made you well. (v. 19) and praises the man's gratefulness. Get used to lifting your heart to God, in acts of thanksgiving, many times a day. Because he gives you this and that. Because you have been despised. Because you haven't what you need or because you have...thank him for everything, because everything is good (p. 195).
Kissed a leper lately? It's difficult to read today's gospel without thinking of the story of Saint Francis kissing the leper - the real kind. As a young man, Francis had a horrible aversion to lepers. And why not? The disease in his time was incurable and progressively debilitating and hideous to see. Too, lepers smelled awful, and that nauseated the noble nose of young Francis, not yet the sweet lover of Lady Poverty. As in biblical times, lepers had to announce their coming. But in Francis' time they rang a bell tied to a staff. One day as a leper approached, Francis recognized his revulsion for another human - however, repulsive, still the image of God. He got off his horse, took the leper's hand. He kissed it. Poets like to say that in embracing the leper, Francis fully embraced Jesus in his leper-like role as the Suffering Servant of God (Isaiah 52:14 - 53:3). In the gospel story, Jesus didn't kiss the lepers; he healed them. In Francis story, he didn't heal the leper; the leper healed Francis.
1) 2 Kings 5, 14-17
2) 2 Timothy 2, 8-13
3) Luke 17, 11-19
Ten Lepers met Jesus on the road. Ten were cured. One returned to give thanks to God.(3) Are we part of the 10% of grateful people-people whose faith has been their salvation? Or are we part of the 90% who have received God's many gifts and just moved on without looking back? Jesus once told his disciples: The gift you have received you must give as a gift. How many of us have made a satisfactory return to the Lord? How many of us have been truly grateful?
It may just be a coincidence that a tenth was also a tithe in Jesus' world, but, even if we are among those who take time to return and give thanks to God on occasion, is our return even 10% of our time or talent or treasure?
Next Sunday the reading's will be: 1)Exodus 17, 8-13; 2)2 Timothy 3, 14-4, 2; 3)Luke 18, 1-8.
Today, Sunday, October 11 at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, Edith Stein is being formally declared a saint by Pope John Paul II. Edith grew up in a Jewish family in the Netherlands, but when she became an adult, she began reading the writings of St. Teresa of Avila, the sixteenth century Carmelite mystic. Edith was then baptized as a Catholic, and after living as a lay woman for eleven years, she decided to become a Carmelite sister like Teresa of Avila. About seven years after entering the Carmelite Order, she was arrested by the Nazis because of her Jewish heritage and later died in the death camp at Auschwitz, Poland. Besides being a model of courage in the face of prejudice and being a model by her confidence in God's love, she is also a model of lay spirituality for us. It is important to note that she was a lay member of the Church for eleven years while she was only a member of her religious order for eight years. While still a laywoman, she wrote the following words about finding God as a lay Catholic: "Immediately before, and for a good while after my conversion, I was of the opinion that to lead a religious life, one had to give up all that was secular and live totally immersed in thoughts of the Divine. But gradually I realized that something else is asked of us in this world... I ...believe that the deeper one is drawn into God, the more one must 'go out of oneself'; that is, one must go to the world in order to carry the divine life into it."
This is the task of us all, religious and laity alike.
Recently a comic remarked, "If Bill Clinton were a Catholic, he could just go to confession."
Actually it is not that simple. But with the topic of repentance on the national agenda now is a good time to review just how a sinner is forgiven, especially in the Sacrament of Penance. There is no intention here to judge those involved in the present national scandal, but our Catholic tradition does cast light on any such concern.
We are all sinners and in need of forgiveness. That does not mean that we all sin in the same way or that we cannot speak out against wrong doing. Calling sin a sin, wherever one sees it, rather than excusing it, is not self-righteous hypocrisy. It is an honesty essential to personal integrity regardless of one's religious faith. The first step in repentance is admitting that what one did was wrong. This involves conscience and the examination of our conscience.
The second requirement is sorrow, or contrition. We must be truly sorry for having done wrong, not simply sorry that we were caught or sorry that we must suffer the bad consequences of our wrongful actions. Sorrow must also include the intention not to repeat the sin. The catechism refers to this element of sorrow as "a firm purpose of amendment." It is the intention to improve.
Finally, one must make satisfaction for the wrong done. It is not enough to say "I'm Sorry." Not enough to say "I won't do it again." One must also repair the harm that was done, both to others and to oneself. Sin not only harms others it impairs the sinner as well. It weakens the sinner's relationship with God and neighbor. To be fully restored the sinner must do something to make amends for the sin. This satisfaction is called "penance."
Sacramental confession has four classic steps: examination of conscience, confession of sins, absolution from one's sins, and satisfaction, or acceptance of a penance.
It would be wrong to think of sin and forgiveness as laundering - "Go ahead and play in the mud, you can always wash your clothes later." True sorrow also involves vigilance in avoiding wrong. That is why frequent examination of conscience and regular confession is recommended for a healthy spiritual life.
The wit who remarked, "If Bill Clinton were a Catholic he could just go to confession," might better have said, "If only he had gone to confession months ago."
Frs. Earl and Gilmary
Called by God, anointed at Baptism as prophet, priest, and king, lay persons are equipped to be "leaven" in the world. By living holy lives they fulfill their prophetic mission as witnesses to the ways of God's Kingdom. They share in the priesthood of Christ by bringing holiness into all dimensions of their personal, family, social, work, and Church lives. By virtue of their kingly mission, they have the power to uproot the rule of sin within themselves and within the world by their self-denial and holiness of life. The holiness of their lives truly is "light" for the world beckoning others to "come and follow" the Lord.
Lay persons are the eyes and ears, hands and arms, heart and love of Christ in the world today.
World Mission Sunday in this year dedicated to the Holy Spirit ... comes opportunely to direct our attention to the marvelous undertakings of the Holy Spirit.
The knowledge that the Spirit is at work in the hearts of believers and intervenes in the events of history is a reason for us to be optimistic and have hope. The first great sign of this action [is] ... the longing for the Good News of Christ the Savior which is present in human hearts. ... A second great sign of the presence of the Spirit is the reawakening of a sense of religion among peoples....
I therefore call for the value of mission as such, capable of regenerating in the Church the vitality of faith, which increases when there is commitment to communicate it to others; the value of the universality of missionary commitment, since everyone, without exception, is called to cooperate generously in the Church's missionary activity; prayer, the offering up of suferings and the witness of life as primary elements, within reach of all the sins and daughters of God.
I recall, lastly, the value of lifelong missionary vocations: If the whole Church is missionary by nature, men and women missionaries by their lives are the paradigm of this.
Pope John Paul II
From the Vatican, May 31, 1998
As we continue our month long reflection on LIFE, I would like to share with all of you something I read recently about this topic. The article was written by Archbishop Chaput of Denver, Colorado.
Today, many, including those in government and in institutions that help to shape our cultural beliefs and behavior, do not recognize that abortion is a problem, or that euthanasia is the wrong direction to take. They deny it. Over the past quarter of a century, the toleration of abortion, socially and legally, has clouded individual consciences and made it more difficult for many to distinguish between good and evil, even when the fundamental right to life is at stake. So people in our society need to be reminded that voluntary killing of innocent human beings is always gravely immoral, and that violating this teaching through abortion and euthanasia has far-reaching consequences.
But how does one help others to understand this? To penetrate the rhetoric of choice and highlight our human capacity for violence and self-delusion are not enough. To transform our culture into one which respects and defends human life, it is necessary to speak of a deeper and a greater truth: All human life is sacred. God is its author. We do not own it. That is why we are called to be a people of life, people who respect and actively promote life. Each of us has gifts to bring to this challenge. Each of us has a responsibility to help bring about a culture of life.
Father Kemme
This month we join with the Catholic Church in the United States to celebrate RESPECT LIFE MONTH. While each day is an opportunity to respect life, we pause during October to give attention to RESPECT FOR ALL LIFE, from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death. We continue to pray that one day each and every human being will come to know the precious and valued gift life is.
The efforts of our Catholic Church have never been lax in promoting and speaking out for life. Our Holy Father, John Paul II, has challenged us to do our duty, as the people of God, to promote the Gospel of life when he writes to us in his encyclical letter THE GOSPEL OF LIFE (Evangelium Vitae):
To all members of the Church, the people of life and for life, I make this most urgent appeal, that together we may offer this work to ensure that justice and solidarity will increase and that a new culture of human life will be affirmed, for the building of an authentic civilization for truth and love.
As the Holy Father reminds us, we must be beacons of hope. "Against the pessimism and selfishness which cast a shadow over the world, the Church stands for life; in each human life, she sees the splendor of that 'Yes,' that 'Amen' which is Christ himself...to make the Church's 'yes' to human life concrete and efficacious." (Christifidelis Vitae).
Christ Jesus, before ascending into heaven, you promised to send the Holy Spirit to your apostles and disciples. Grant that the same Spirit may perfect in our lives the work of your grace and love. -- Grant us the Spirit of Wisdom that we may aspire to the things that last forever, the Spirit of Counsel that we may choose the surest way of doing your will, seeking first the kingdom; the Spirit of Fortitude that we may bear our cross with you and, with courage, overcome the obstacles that interfere with our salvation.
Priests Will Continue to the End of Time: There is an essential aspect of the priest that does not change: the priest of tomorrow, no less than the priest of today, must resemble Christ. When Jesus lived on this earth, He manifested in Himself the definitive role of the priest by establishing a ministerial priesthood with which the Apostles were the first to be invested. This priesthood is destined to last in endless succession throughout history.
In this sense, the priest of the third millennium will continue the work of the priests who, in the preceding millennia, have animated the life of the Church. In the third millennium the priestly vocation will continue to be the call to live the unique and permanent priesthood of Christ. [PDV n. 5]
